Small scale miners blame govt for galamsey surge over three-year permit freeze

The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) has fiercely pushed back against the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, accusing the state of deliberately pushing miners into "galamsey" through crippling administrative bottlenecks.

Reacting to comments by the Deputy Lands Minister on unreclaimed lands, on Sunday, October 18, 2026, GNASSM Ashanti Chapter Secretary, Michael Adu-Gyamfi, exposed a three-year freeze on mining permits, warning that criminalizing miners while withholding their legitimate licenses is a recipe for environmental disaster.

"If you brand me a criminal, do you expect me to step out and reclaim the land only to get arrested on site? Stop treating us like outlaws. The real crime is sitting on license applications for over three years while outsiders with Accra-issued permits hijack local lands in Manso without community consent." Mr Adu- Gyamfi fired.

GNASSM warned that the only way to save Ghana’s water bodies and forest reserves is to decentralize licensing to local assemblies and formalize operators rather than launching endless military crackdowns.

The confrontation comes as GNASSM officially broke a seven-year electoral hiatus triggered by a nationwide membership database overhaul.

The Association announced its roadmap for new four-year leadership elections: Zonal Polls which is November 13, District Polls being December 20 and National Elections which will be held on December 21.

The Association warned that only registered members in good standing will be permitted to vote, urging all miners to organize and take back control of their livelihood.