Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah has issued a call to action for Ghana to “turn our waters blue and our forests green” as he launched the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) in Obuasi on Wednesday, August 6.

In a speech that signalled a bold departure from years of piecemeal reforms, the Minister laid bare the failures of past interventions and painted a vision of a reformed mining sector that protects both people and planet.

“We must collectively work to turn our waters blue and our forests green through responsible and sustainable mining,” he declared.

“We begin that journey today. We must succeed! We have no option; it is our obligation to future generations.”

Addressing the crowd, the Minister described years of environmental degradation and economic neglect in mining communities as a national failure that could no longer be tolerated.

“While we have taken several significant and strategic steps to curb environmental degradation, we must address the economic disparities that persist in mining communities,” he said.

He made it clear that brute force could not win the fight against illegal mining.

“We are under no illusion that we will solve the issues of illegal mining with guns and violence in place of sensitisation and stakeholder collaboration.”

The Minister announced the disbanding of the Community Mining Scheme, which he said had failed to be truly community-centred.

“Our findings revealed that the Scheme was not truly community-centred as intended and thus failed to achieve its objectives.

"The decision to dissolve it was designed to be yielding, to pave the way for a more comprehensive, structured, and regulated framework, one that is genuinely community-led and community-based.”

He said the new programme builds on the strengths and lessons of the Community Mining Scheme and the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme.

“This is not just a policy — it is a practical, community-driven programme built on three key pillars,” he said.

The new framework includes establishing community-owned mining cooperatives with legal concessions and modern, mercury-free technologies, transforming artisanal mining into a professionally regulated industry.

“No more poverty-driven destruction — only responsible, profitable, and sustainable mining,” he said.

Kofi-Buah also promised a future of expanded opportunities beyond mining.

“We will not just train miners, we will create innovators, agriculturists, tech entrepreneurs, and industry leaders,” he said.

“Recognising that minerals are finite, we must empower young people with sustainable alternatives.”

On restoring lands devastated by illegal mining, he pledged, “We will rehabilitate lands scarred by illegal mining, transforming them into farms, forests, and other productive uses.”

He further revealed that a portion of cooperative mining revenues will go toward infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and clean water systems.

With support from large-scale mining companies and institutions like the University of Mines in Tarkwa, the government will begin a nationwide rollout of cooperative mining schemes.

“Each cooperative will undergo training and certification, supported by the University of Mines in Tarkwa, alongside a fast-track licensing process.”

Ending on a hopeful note, he said: “Together, we can build a future where the relentless pursuit of resources beneath the surface of the earth is safe, legal, and sustainable — where our youth have skills, our land flourishes, and our communities prosper.”