Co-Chair of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GHEITI), Dr Steve Manteaw, has proposed stricter technical requirements for small-scale mining licenses, insisting that only qualified supervision can ensure responsible and sustainable operations.
Speaking at the Mining and Minerals Convention 2025, Dr. Manteaw drew parallels with the pharmaceutical industry, where individuals cannot operate pharmacies without professional oversight. “If you want to open a pharmacy but you are not a pharmacist, you need to produce the license of a registered pharmacist to operate. Why can’t we apply the same standard to small-scale mining?” he asked.
He argued that mining licenses should only be issued to applicants who can demonstrate supervisory arrangements with certified miners .
This, he said, would ensure mining is carried out responsibly and competently, reducing the environmental destruction associated with unregulated small-scale mining.
Dr. Manteaw warned that the absence of meaningful technical and financial requirements in the current regime has encouraged “fronting,” where local miners act on behalf of foreign financiers. This practice, he noted, undermines local ownership and increases the risks of illegal operations.
He called on regulators, including the Minerals Commission, to incorporate technical supervision, financial capacity, and background checks into the licensing process as part of the broader reforms aimed at sanitizing Ghana’s small-scale mining sector.
