Ghana’s push toward responsible and sustainable small-scale mining has gained renewed international support as envoys from Hungary, Switzerland, and India held separate meetings with the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, on Tuesday, 8th July, 2025, to discuss potential collaboration with Ghana and their respective countries.

His Excellency Tamás Fehér, the Hungarian Ambassador to Ghana, reaffirmed Hungary’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Ghana. Ambassador Fehér expressed Hungary’s interest in technological transfers to enhance Ghana’s mining sector, particularly in improving efficiency and sustainability in small-scale mining operations.

Hon. Buah welcomed Hungary’s renewed interest and assured the Ambassador of Ghana’s commitment to fostering mutually beneficial partnerships.

He highlighted ongoing reforms in the small-scale mining sector, including the Cooperative Mining Programme, which promotes formalization, capacity building, and gold traceability.

The Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Simone Giger, and the Indian Ambassador, Shri Manish Gupta, also held separate discussions with Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah, signalling their countries’ revived interest in Ghana’s mining sector.

The focus was on promoting transparent and responsible practices in small- and medium-scale gold mining to help address concerns over traceability and environmental risks.

Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to transforming small-scale mining, citing ongoing reforms such as the Cooperative Mining Program.

He leveraged the discussions to court their support for the program and other strategic key initiatives.
Beyond mining, the meetings explored potential partnerships in environmental conservation. Hon. Buah briefed the delegations on Ghana’s efforts to combat deforestation, citing the “Tree for Life” initiative, which focuses on land restoration and afforestation. He also made mention of the Blue Water initiative and the government’s quest to de-chemicalise and treat the polluted waterbodies to restore them to pristine conditions.

The discussions concluded with all parties expressing optimism about deepening bilateral cooperation to transform Ghana’s small-scale mining sector and protect its natural environment.