The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has refuted claims that over 1,400 mining licences have been issued by the Ministry from 2022 to date.

His clarification follows reports suggesting that while only 150 licences were granted between 1988 and November 2022, more than 1,400 licences have allegedly been approved since 2022.

In an interview with Citi FM on October 8, 2024, Jinapor firmly rejected these allegations, describing them as inaccurate. He stated, “Straight away, that is false,” and emphasised that the number of licences issued between 1988 and 2022 is far greater than those reportedly issued in the period from 2022 to the present.

Mr Jinapor elaborated on the mining licence approval process, explaining that it is a time-consuming and intricate procedure.

He noted that approving a single small-scale mining application requires six separate signatures, which significantly slows down the process.

This complexity, according to him, makes it improbable that such a large number of licences could be issued within the reported time frame.

The Minister also acknowledged concerns from industry experts regarding the delays in granting mining licences.

These experts argue that the slow pace of approvals is contributing to the rise of illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey, which has become a major environmental challenge.

Mr Jinapor emphasised the need to streamline the licensing process, suggesting that faster formalisation of the small-scale mining sector could help reduce illegal mining activities, which are causing extensive damage to Ghana’s natural resources.

“Since I have been a minister, the criticisms I have suffered in the industry is that I don’t approve licenses. That has been my biggest headache. Apart from everything else, approving the licenses based on the regime we have now is just simply cumbersome."

“So, to approve one small-scale mining application, the minister has to sign six signatures. So, if I have to approve 10 then it means I have to sign 60 signatures and getting that work done in itself is cumbersome," he stated.