The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has clarified that the government is not against mining, stressing the importance of sustainable and responsible operations in the sector.

Speaking during a working visit by the Vice-President to the Ministry, Mr Buah said the government recognises mining as a key driver of the national economy.

“We have to succeed in this fight to make sure that we can mine sustainably and responsibly. And the whole idea is that this government is not against mining,” he stated.

He described mining as “the bedrock, the heartbeat of this country,” but emphasised that it must be carried out responsibly. “The argument is that we must mine responsibly and sustainably. And the argument is that it is possible to do so,” he added.

Hon. Buah highlighted the government’s cooperative mining programme as a critical step towards improving operations and reducing illegal practices. “We are saying, how do we organise people in groups, train them better, and give them all the tools they need to mine? Now you can't send gold to places where they don't know their sources. So traceability has become a big problem,” he explained.

The minister also noted the role of regulatory bodies in the programme, saying: “We think that working with the Gold Board and others, this cooperative mining programme is the key to changing how we're mining down. And we believe that this programme is really taking off. And we've already launched some of them.”

Looking ahead, Mr Buah said this year would focus on expanding cooperative mining initiatives. “This year is going to be a year of constant. We have believed that we are going to do a lot of cooperation. It will change the story of illegal mining completely,” he said.