GHANA · GOLD MINING
Key Facts
- What is happening Ghana’s gold board says eligible small-scale miners will join cooperatives and be licensed within six months.
- Why it matters Small miners’ gold exports of US$11.6 billion beat large mines’ US$11.1 billion, so licensing shapes supply.
- The numbers Licensing is due within six months; 85.4 tonnes of small-scale gold were exported by 20 October.
- Who is who Sammy Gyamfi runs the Ghana Gold Board, the state agency that aggregates and exports small-scale gold.
- What to watch Whether the programme rules, eligibility list and funding are published, and whether the mining amendment bill passes.
- What it means for you US buyers and miners with Ghana exposure should watch the licensing rules, since no programme text is public.
Ghana’s gold board says eligible small-scale miners will be licensed within six months. The programme rules have not been published.
Ghana’s gold board says it will move eligible informal small-scale miners into cooperatives and have them licensed within six months. Chief executive Sammy Gyamfi announced the plan on Saturday 31 October 2026, local reports say.
For US readers, the plan matters because small-scale mining supplied about half of Ghana’s gold exports this year. How those miners are licensed affects who can legally sell, and what buyers can prove about where gold came from.
What the Plan Says
Gyamfi described a programme that registers informal miners into cooperatives through Ghana’s Department of Cooperatives. It would train them and then formalise and license the cooperatives within six months.
- Informal miners register in cooperatives.
- Training covers mercury-free processing, land reclamation and cleaner mining methods.
- Cooperatives are sent to mineralised areas approved by the Minerals Commission, the environmental agency, the water agency and the lands ministry.
- Full formalisation and licensing follows within six months.
Miners could not work in areas under existing mineral rights, or where mining could harm water bodies, forest reserves or communities. Gyamfi also said the plan supports the fight against illegal mining and would create jobs for young people.
Where the Programme Comes From
The cooperative programme is called the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme, or rCOMSDEP. Ghana’s cabinet approved it in August 2025, replacing two earlier schemes for community mining and alternative livelihoods.
The lands ministry says cooperatives would get training, legal concessions and shared processing plants that aim to end mercury use. The ministry’s 2025 statement gave no funding figure and no eligibility criteria.
Why Small Miners Matter
GoldBod, the Ghana Gold Board, said on 20 October 2026 that it exported 85.4 tonnes of small-scale gold worth US$11.6 billion. That covers 1 January to 20 October, and large-scale mines exported 76 tonnes worth US$11.1 billion.
Small-scale exports rose from 63 tonnes in 2024 to about 104 tonnes in 2025. They earned US$10.8 billion in foreign exchange last year, and Gyamfi credits GoldBod’s reforms for recovering gold lost to smuggling.
A Row Over Licences
The announcement follows a dispute over Gyamfi’s remarks in late October about unlicensed miners. He said a viral video showed only an edited part of his words.
Gyamfi said mining in water bodies, in forest reserves and in unsuitable places such as roadsides and homes cannot be formalised. He argued that licensing compliant miners is better than hunting them with the military.
In Plain English
- GoldBod is the Ghana Gold Board, the state agency that buys, aggregates and exports small-scale gold.
- Small-scale mining means artisanal and small mines, often informal, that work alone or in groups.
- Formalisation means giving miners legal status, licences, training and approved sites.
- A cooperative is a group of miners that share a licence and processing equipment.
What It Means for You
Refiners, traders and investors with Ghana exposure will want to see which miners qualify and how licences are checked. Legal sourcing is the point of the reform, and the rules are not yet public.
Related Rio Times reports include Ghana Small-Scale Gold Exports Hit US$11.6B and Ghana’s Rivers Run Brown From Gold Mining. More background sits in Ghana Natural Resources Explained and on the Ghana hub.
What Is Not Known
GoldBod’s own website did not carry the six-month announcement when checked on 1 November 2026. The reported claim that the programme is written into a mining amendment bill before Parliament could not be confirmed.
The number of miners, the cost and the funding are not stated. It is also unclear how this plan relates to GoldBod’s separate financing programme planned for 2027.
What Comes Next
GoldBod began consulting miners and traders on 29 October 2026 about the 2027 programme, which will go to cabinet and Parliament afterwards. Details of the six-month cooperative route should follow.
The announcement does not make any miner legal today. Only registration, an approved site and a licence would do that.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ghana Gold Board?
GoldBod is the state agency that aggregates and exports small-scale gold. Sammy Gyamfi is its chief executive.
What did Ghana announce for small-scale miners?
Gyamfi said eligible informal miners will join cooperatives and be formalised and licensed within six months. No programme text has been published.
Who cannot take part?
Miners in areas under existing mineral rights cannot take part. Nor can miners whose work could harm water bodies, forest reserves or communities.
Is the plan law yet?
Cabinet approved the cooperative programme in August 2025. Whether an amendment bill is before Parliament could not be confirmed.
Sources: Ghana Gold Board, small-scale gold exports, 20 October 2026; Ghana Gold Board, formalisation and financing programme, 20 October 2026; Ghana Gold Board, consultations on the 2027 programme, 29 October 2026; Minerals Commission of Ghana and Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, rCOMSDEP press release, 4 August 2025 (all accessed 1 November 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief