The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has submitted a new mining bill to Cabinet seeking to decentralise the issuance of mining licences, in a major policy shift aimed at giving local communities a greater role in mining governance.

If approved, the proposed legislation will transfer key regulatory responsibilities currently exercised by central agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Minerals Commission and other regulatory bodies, to newly established District Mining Committees.

Speaking at the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) at Akyem Kotoku in the Eastern Region, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said the proposed committees would play a central role in the licensing process.

According to the Minister, no mining licence will be granted without the recommendation of the relevant District Mining Committee.

Mr Armah-Kofi Buah argued that the current system, under which major decisions on mining licences are largely taken in Accra, excludes host communities from decisions that directly affect their lands, livelihoods and environment.

He said the proposed reforms are intended to promote greater accountability, community participation and responsible mining practices across the country.

The Minister noted that the decentralisation initiative forms part of a broader package of measures being implemented to strengthen regulation and combat illegal mining.

These measures include intensified stakeholder engagement and public education, the operationalisation of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), the deployment of the Blue Water Guards, and the introduction of a new medium-scale mining framework designed to improve oversight and encourage responsible mining practices.

Mr Armah-Kofi Buah expressed confidence that the reforms would help create a more transparent, inclusive and sustainable mining sector while ensuring that communities directly affected by mining activities have a meaningful voice in the management of the country's mineral resources.