Dr Steve Manteaw
Dr. Steve Manteaw, Co-Chair of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GHEITI), delivered a thought-provoking address, calling for a comprehensive overhaul of Ghana’s approach to small-scale mining governance, gold marketing, and alternative livelihood strategies.
He was speaking at the 4th Annual Transformational Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining on Thursday 8 May at Sunyani .
Dr. Manteaw questioned the disconnect between Ghana’s One District, One Factory (1D1F) policy and the untapped local content opportunities within the mining sector.
He revealed that there are over 60 industrial inputs, such as activated carbon, that can be produced locally to serve mining operations—yet little has been done to align national industrialization goals with mining sector needs.
“We’re busy boxing bouillons for the market, while importing even the most basic inputs for our mines,” he remarked. “Local production of activated carbon alone could generate more reliable income than what many so-called alternative livelihoods provide.”
A flawed alternative livelihood approach
Calling for a reassessment of alternative livelihood interventions, Dr. Manteaw stressed that many artisanal miners have previously earned substantial incomes.
He warned against “token solutions” and called for well-funded, economically viable alternatives that match or exceed the earnings from small-scale mining.“We’re dealing with people who’ve seen real money before. You can’t expect them to switch to low-income ventures and survive. We need to re-interrogate our entire approach.”
The market paradox: Fueling the very illegality we fight
A highlight of Dr. Manteaw’s address was his critique of what he termed the “market paradox”—the contradiction of fighting illegal mining (galamsey) while providing a market for its gold.“As long as there’s a willing market for illegally mined gold, our efforts to end galamsey will fail,” he warned. “If it’s illegal, it should have no place in our value chain.”
He stressed the urgent need to sanitize the gold supply chain, ensuring traceability and compliance with global standards.
Gold smuggling: porous borders, lost value
Dr. Manteaw exposed serious weaknesses in border security and gold export monitoring, citing that most of Ghana’s gold is smuggled through borders like Bole and Aflao, bypassing the only designated export point at Kotoka International Airport.“There are no assay or gold detection facilities at our land borders. Meanwhile, the bulk of our gold ends up in places like Dubai’s Gold Souk, often sold at huge discounts,” he revealed. “I was even approached with a generous offer to serve as an agent for these transactions.”
He pointed to a lack of enforcement, poor infrastructure, and limited government oversight as reasons for Ghana’s continued loss of mineral value to unregulated foreign markets.
Due to the inability to verify responsible sourcing, Ghana is excluded from top-tier gold markets regulated by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA).
Without certification that gold is free from child labor and produced with approved chemicals, Ghana’s exports are relegated to “rogue markets” in Dubai and India—where they are refined and later sold at a premium. “We’re losing significant value because our gold is bought at a discount. If we cleaned up our act, we could sell directly into global markets and earn more for our resources.”
Dr. Manteaw emphasized that Ghana must restructure its gold marketing system, tighten border control, and invest in certification systems that prove responsible mining practices. Without these changes, he warned, the country’s efforts to formalize and benefit from the small-scale mining sector will remain futile.
Listen to Dr Steve Manteaw in the attached audio below:
