The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP), has warned that all small-scale mining license holders who fail to prove their legitimacy by 5:00 pm on 1st September 2025 will have their licenses permanently revoked.
This follows a review of licenses conducted by a special committee tasked with auditing existing small-scale mining permits. Out of 1,278 licenses reviewed, 316 were found to be clear of any irregularities. The remaining 962, however, were fraught with various issues, leading to 55 being revoked earlier this year.
The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM) had earlier pleaded for an extension of the deadline, which the Minister granted, moving it to the end of August 2025.
With the ultimatum now drawing to a close, the Ministry has reiterated that any licenses that remain defective after 5:00 pm on 1st September 2025 will be permanently revoked.
“Affected license holders are therefore reminded to submit any documentation to prove the legitimacy of their small-scale mining licenses to the Ministry on or before 17:00 hrs., 1st September 2025. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of their license by the Honourable Minister,” portions of a statement from the License Review Committee read.
The Ministry says the review and revocation exercise form part of efforts to sanitize the mining sector and clamp down on illegal mining.
Meanwhile, a comprehensive review of large-scale mining licenses is expected to commence soon as part of broader efforts to enforce compliance with mining laws and regulations.
Source: Lands Ministry
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