Speaking at a joint press briefing on March 19, 2025, Mr Buah stated that these licences were granted without due process, making their cancellation necessary.

“Now, we are going full steam ahead to revoke all licences based on the findings. Even all licences—it’s mostly licences that were issued from December 7—that is hereby revoked, whether you have EPA licences or not, because the finding is very clear. Those licences from December 7 were rushed. Review processes were not followed; the right things were not done,” he stated.

The decision follows recommendations from key regulatory bodies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Forestry Commission, and the Water Resources Commission, as part of a broader strategy to combat illegal mining, also known as galamsey.

Mr Buah also announced the immediate disbandment of existing community mining schemes, stating that they had failed to benefit local communities as originally intended.

“The findings indicate that these community mining schemes do not represent the communities. They have to be disbanded and replaced with small-scale mining cooperatives that actually serve and benefit the communities,” he explained.

The new cooperatives, he noted, would be formed after thorough engagement with community representatives to ensure local participation and accountability.

In addition to the revocation of recent licences, the minister revealed plans to establish a Small-Scale Mining Technical Review Committee tasked with auditing all existing small-scale mining licences.

This committee, to be chaired by the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, will include representatives from the Minerals Commission, EPA, Water Resources Commission, Forestry Commission, and the Attorney General’s Office.

- Ensure that licences were obtained through due process.

- Assess compliance with environmental regulations.

- Review how licence holders have impacted water bodies, forest reserves, and land preservation efforts.

“All licence holders are expected to cooperate fully with this committee. The committee will have two months to carry out this very important assignment. Those who fail to go through the verification process will have their licences revoked,” Mr Buah warned.

He further revealed that the government was considering introducing a medium-scale mining classification to bridge the gap between small-scale and large-scale mining operations.

The revocation of licences comes amidst ongoing parliamentary debates on Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which seeks to strip the President of the power to grant mining permits in forest reserves.

On 18th March, the Minority caucus in Parliament blocked the presentation of the L.I. by the Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Murtala, insisting on a pre-laying process before its formal introduction.

“Mr Speaker, I shall pray you to place the application on ice for now and rather direct that the minister goes through what has become a pre-laying ritual so that after that, the laying is done,” Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin argued.

Former Lands Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor backed this position, stressing the need for deeper scrutiny of the instrument before its adoption.

However, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga disagreed, stating that the regulation had already received broad consensus and was critical in the fight against galamsey.

“This was a major promise of President John Dramani Mahama and the government, and today, we are seeing the implementation of a key commitment aimed at addressing galamsey in our forest reserves,” he said.

After intense debate, First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor ruled that a three-day pre-laying process must be observed, with the Subsidiary Legislation Committee expected to review the L.I. and report back by March 20.

The Lands Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reclaiming forest reserves from illegal miners, disclosing that security forces had already reclaimed seven out of nine forest reserves previously overrun by illegal mining activities.

“With the cooperation of the security agencies and the Ghana Armed Forces, we have taken back seven of these nine forests, and we are working very hard to reclaim the remaining two,” he said.

He called on all stakeholders to support the government’s efforts to ensure sustainable mining practices in Ghana, stressing that the ultimate goal was to protect the country’s natural resources for future generations.