President John Dramani Mahama has announced a comprehensive government initiative to curb illegal mining (galamsey) activities and promote sustainable mining practices.
Key components of the initiative include a new permit regime for excavator imports and improved tracking of heavy-duty mining equipment nationwide.
President Mahama announced this in his address to open the Mining in Motion Summit 2025 in Accra. The summit was on the theme “Sustainable Mining and Local Growth – Leveraging Resources for Global Impact”.
“The indiscriminate environmental degradation, water pollution, and displacement of communities resulting from illegal mining will no longer be tolerated,” President Mahama stated.
“We are changing the permitting regime to ensure that no excavator is imported or shipped into the country without prior authorisation.”
The government’s strategy involves a multifaceted approach to enhancing the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks of the mining sector.
This includes requiring permits for importing excavators and implementing a nationwide tracking system to monitor the movement of heavy-duty mining equipment; prohibiting the use of toxic chemicals such as mercury in gold processing; and enforcing mandatory site rehabilitation clauses in small-scale and medium-scale mining licences to ensure land reclamation.
The others are reinforcing the implementation of community development agreements to benefit local communities impacted by mining operations and promoting the use of renewable energy sources in mining activities.
President Mahama emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring that all mining activities in Ghana leave a positive environmental footprint.
“Under the new framework, every ounce of gold or gram of lithium mined in Ghana will leave a positive green footprint,” he declared.
President Mahama highlighted Ghana’s potential to play a central role in the clean energy transition.
“The world is transitioning. The use of fossil fuels is waning, and clean energy is rising. With this comes a surge in demand for critical minerals like lithium, graphite, nickel and other rare earth minerals. Ghana is ready to play a central role.”
The President revealed that the government is developing a legal and investment policy framework to promote the responsible exploration and development of critical mineral reserves. This framework aims to attract ethical, long-term investors, promote local content, and facilitate technology transfer.
