Sammy Gyamfi Defends Call To Frmalise Unlicensed Small-Scale Miners

Story By: Deborah Adorsu

Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, has defended his call to formalise eligible unlicensed small-scale miners, insisting that bringing them into the formal economy is better than chasing them with soldiers.

His clarification follows a viral video, culled from his remarks at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in March, which suggested he endorsed illegal mining.

In a statement posted on Facebook on October 23, Gyamfi described the circulating clip as “mischievously edited,” saying it omitted key details of government’s support plan to help miners obtain legal documentation, permits, certification and training.

He stressed that three forms of illegal mining are irredeemably wrong and can neither be tolerated nor reformed:

• Mining that affects water bodies and rivers
• Mining in forest reserves
• Mining in dangerous places within communities such as roadsides, school lands and residential areas

According to him, once artisanal and small-scale miners are operating outside those prohibited red zones and are not harming the environment, their area qualifies for formalisation under government’s Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme, rCOMSDEP.

The programme, he explained, is designed to transform unlicensed operators into licensed and responsible miners through documentation, training and financing.

“Formalising such unlicensed ASMs is a better approach than chasing them with soldiers,” Gyamfi stated, adding that formalisation and traceability represent a new paradigm shift for sustainability, job creation and improved foreign exchange retention.

The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners has also defended the GoldBod CEO, saying his remarks at the March 23 programme at KNUST were about registering eligible operators, not endorsing galamsey.