The Vice Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Davis Ansah Opoku, has commended the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minerals Commission for the progress made in implementing recommendations aimed at improving the regulation of small-scale mining in Ghana.

Speaking during Parliament's consideration of the Public Accounts Committee's follow-up report on the Auditor-General's Performance Audit on Regulating Small-Scale Mining for a Sustainable Environment, the Mpraeso MP described the level of implementation as encouraging and said it reflected the importance of sustained parliamentary oversight.

According to the report, the two institutions fully implemented 25 of the 29 recommendations, with the Minerals Commission implementing 14 and the EPA implementing 11, while each institution partially implemented two outstanding recommendations.

Mr Opoku said recommendations by the Auditor-General and Parliament should not be treated as mere administrative advice but as essential measures for strengthening governance, accountability and service delivery.

He particularly welcomed improvements in licensing processes, environmental monitoring, coordination between the EPA and the Minerals Commission, and efforts to strengthen the regulation of small-scale mining.

He, however, urged both institutions to complete the remaining recommendations, particularly those relating to reclamation bonds, the effectiveness of District Mining Committees and the provision of safer mineral processing technologies.

“The implementation of 25 out of 29 recommendations is commendable. It shows that when Parliament follows up and institutions respond, real progress can be made. The remaining task is to ensure that these reforms produce measurable improvements on the ground,” he said.

The PAC Vice Chairman also called for greater investment in technical personnel, logistics and digital monitoring systems to strengthen inspections and improve compliance across the mining sector.

He maintained that effective regulation of small-scale mining depends not only on robust laws but also on adequately resourced institutions capable of enforcing environmental standards and holding offenders accountable.