The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, has announced that all mining licenses that were granted after December 7, 2024, under the previous government, have been revoked.
He made this known while speaking at a press briefing on the outfit’s policies and programmes. The revocation is part of the steps the government is taking to combat illegal mining, commonly known as ‘galamsey’, which has caused massive damage to Ghana’s lands and water systems.
The sector minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, revealed at the press conference that out of the nine forest reserves that have been affected by illegal mining, seven of them have been reclaimed by government.
Expressing the commitment of the ministry in solving environmental degradation caused by illegal mining, he said, “Based on the advice and recommendations of key committees, jointly with the minister supported by the EPA, the Minerals Commission, the Forestry Commission, and the Water Resources Commission, we are taking the following steps. We are going full steam ahead to revoke all licenses based on the findings. All small-scale licenses that were issued from December 7 are hereby revoked.”
He continued that whether or not a company or an individual, received a licence or not from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after December 7, 2024, such people should note that their licenses were faulty.
He said, “Whether you have EPA licenses or not, the finding is very clear—those licenses issued from December 7 were rushed, due processes were not followed, and the right procedures were ignored.”
Mr. Buah however, assured the affected persons and companies that they will have a chance to appeal and go through the right processes of obtaining mining licenses.
“However, affected parties will have the opportunity to appeal to ensure the right processes are followed,” he said.
Source: Dehotpress
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