Sammy Gyamfi Takes a Closer Look at Ghana's Artisanal Miners
The Ghana Gold Board has started a nationwide exercise to profile artisanal and small-scale gold miners, aiming to establish comprehensive data on gold production and improve traceability within the sector. The exercise, which began about two months ago, is expected to help the Gold Board determine where gold purchased across the country is produced and establish the proportion supplied by artisanal miners compared with licensed small-scale operators.
The Gold Board's Data Drive
The Gold Board's Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, said the initiative was being undertaken through the Board's licensing, gold-buying and receipting systems, which enable it to track the source and category of gold entering the formal market. Gyamfi explained that the Board's receipting system would allow it to determine the geographical distribution of gold production. "So through our receipting system, we believe that we should be able to know the gold we are buying, which percentage comes from Upper East, which percentage comes from Savannah, which percentage comes from Central, and how is that distributed in those regions," he said.
Ghana's Artisanal Mining Sector in the Dark
Ghana currently lacks comprehensive and up-to-date data on the artisanal mining sector, with existing records largely covering small-scale mining licences issued by the Minerals Commission. Gyamfi noted that the situation is further complicated by expired licences and applications awaiting renewal, making it difficult to establish the current size and distribution of the sector. "With you, we do not yet have the data, but we are putting the data together because the Minerals Commission is the only organisation that has the data. But they only have records of small-scale mining licences they have issued," he said.
A New Regulatory Framework
Gyamfi said all gold buyers operating under the new regulatory framework were required to obtain licences and undergo due diligence, including Know Your Customer (KYC), anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing checks before they could operate. "They all go through KYC, they all go through AML checks, counter terrorism financing checks, and so on, before licences are issued," he said. The Gold Board has also deployed inspectors and a task force across the country to monitor gold trading activities and enforce compliance with its licensing requirements.
A Clearer Picture for Policymakers
Gyamfi said the data would provide policymakers with a clearer picture of Ghana's artisanal and small-scale mining industry and help shape future interventions aimed at formalising the sector. He, however, said preliminary indications suggested that the artisanal sector could be larger than the licensed small-scale mining sector, although the Gold Board was yet to establish its exact size. "I have the feeling that the artisanal sector is far bigger than the small-scale sector," he said.
What's Next for the Gold Board
The Gold Board will be willing to share the findings once the exercise is completed, noting that the information could help address a longstanding gap in Ghana's mining sector. "Ghana has never cared to build such data. But we believe that we are better placed as the Gold Board to support this very important need," Gyamfi said. The exercise is expected to be completed in the next two to three months, after which the Gold Board will be able to provide a clearer picture of the artisanal mining sector in Ghana.
Source: Joy Online
