The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, has called on the Minerals Commission to stop granting licences to small-scale miners who do not possess geological data confirming the mineral potential of their proposed mining areas.

He said the lack of such data often results in disorganized and destructive mining activities, as operators extract minerals indiscriminately without understanding the geological structure of their concessions.

Speaking at the opening of a six-day DAAD Alumni Seminar in Takoradi on the theme “Responsible Artisanal and Industrial Miners in Africa,” Dr. Ashigbey stressed the importance of data-driven licensing.

“The Minerals Commission should not process any licence where the mineralisation of an area is not sufficient to support profitable mining activity,” he stated.

Dr. Ashigbey further proposed that Ghana adopt international best practices by empowering the Geological Survey Authority to undertake mineral exploration and make the resulting data accessible to small-scale miners at affordable rates.

According to him, this approach would encourage responsible mining, reduce environmental degradation, and boost state revenue from the sector.