The Asante Municipal Assembly in Ghana through the Municipal Chief Executive, Honourable Maame Sarfoah Appiah has launched the ‘Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Program’ to help curb the menace of illegal mining in the municipality.
The municipality which is endowed with rich mineral resources is grappling with the challenge of illegal mining.
The launch of the new initiative was attended by chiefs, a clergy, officials from the Mineral Commission, Environmental Protection Authority, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), departmental heads, small scale miners and the media.
The Municipal Chief Executive expressed excitement about the transformation initiative by the government, spearhead by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. She said the issue of illegal mining has been one of the challenges she’s been confronted with since she assumed office in 2025.
“Let me take this opportunity to commend the President whose vision brought about the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Program to redefine Ghana’s journey towards sustainable and small-scale mining. We may recall that the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Program was launched on 6th August 2025 by the President John Dramani Mahama-led administration to empower mining cooperatives and small-scale miners with the requisite skills through training, innovation and environmental practices.” Hon. Appiah said.
She stated that the initiative would boost economic activities within the municipality, noting that the program was designed to address the gaps created by the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood program.
The Municipal Chief Executive further stated that community mining scheme does not only protect the natural resources but also promotes sustainable mining, builds community resilience and creates jobs for the youth in the mining communities.
As part of efforts to formalize trading of gold in the country, the Gold Board was established as the sole authority with exclusive rights to oversee, regulate and undertake trading, assigning and exporting of gold as well as other precious minerals.
“We can attest to the fact that the establishment of the Gold Board has led to the transformation of Ghana’s mineral sector as centralizing gold aggregation, curbing illicit smuggling,” said Hon. Appiah.
She stated that the challenge of miners seeking the highest bidder to buy their gold will be a thing of the past when the initiative kicks off. Hon. Appiah described the initiative as a timely blessing, as the municipality has been grappling with the menace of illegal mining.
The MCE stated that the new initiative would follow government regulations, ensure forest reserves are not degraded and water bodies protected.
“There are laid down processes for this type of mining. Blue Water Guards will be there. National Anti-illegal mining operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) officials will protect and safeguard miners because it is part of the government regulations.” Communities, she said will benefit for decades from the mining concession, when the initiative kick starts.
Written by Mavis Okyere for TheAfricanDream®
