GoldBod to Roll Out Formalisation and Financing Programme for Small-Scale Miners

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) will roll out an Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Formalisation and Financing Support Programme in 2027 as part of efforts to improve productivity, create jobs and reduce the environmental impact of small-scale mining in Ghana.

The programme, which will be implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), with technical support from South Africa’s Rand Refinery, is expected to promote a more organised, productive and environmentally responsible artisanal and small-scale mining sector.

Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, Esq., announced the initiative during his keynote address at the 2026 African Minerals Policy Forum, when he spoke under the theme, “From Gold Production to National Prosperity: Ghana’s GoldBod Model for Mineral Sovereignty and Value Addition.”

Mr. Gyamfi said the programme would seek to sustainably increase gold production, mineral revenue and employment while reducing the operational costs and environmental degradation associated with artisanal and small-scale mining.

He explained that effective formalisation must go beyond enforcement and create opportunities for miners and other participants in the gold value chain to operate within a structured and commercially viable system.

“At GoldBod we believe that mining regulation must be firm, but also practical, inclusive and commercially-sound. Reform will endure only when compliance becomes a pathway to opportunity rather than hardships,” he said.

According to the GoldBod CEO, appropriate formalisation and financing support could position the ASM sector as an important driver of livelihoods, foreign exchange generation, reserve accumulation, indigenous enterprise and sustainable national development.

His remarks reflect GoldBod’s broader approach to mineral governance, which places emphasis on strengthening the formal gold trade while expanding opportunities for Ghanaian participation in the sector.

Mr. Gyamfi argued that properly organised small-scale mining, supported by modern technology, could improve gold recovery rates, enhance safety and reduce environmental degradation while creating productive opportunities for young people.

He noted that the performance of the ASM sector over the past two years demonstrated its significant economic potential, arguing that the sector could contribute more effectively to national development if supported by appropriate regulation, financing and technical capacity.

Mr. Gyamfi maintained that mineral sovereignty must translate into meaningful economic participation for local people, enabling more Ghanaians to move beyond basic extraction into higher-value activities across the mining industry.

The planned rollout in 2027 will therefore represent a further step in GoldBod’s efforts to link the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining with productivity, environmental responsibility and inclusive economic development.