Franklin Cudjoe, the founding president of IMANI Africa, has challenged government officials regarding the sources of their mining license figures, questioning their accuracy in light of verified data.
In a pointed statement, Cudjoe expressed scepticism, stating, “I don’t know where government folks are getting their wild mining license figures from to counter the mostly verified data that the government issued 1,400 plus mining licenses between 2022 and now, without proper regulation, when between 1988 and 2022, only 150 licenses were granted.”
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.
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.
Meanwhile, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) has called out Cudjoe for suggesting that a significant number of mining licenses had been issued under the current government, a situation he argued has contributed to the surge in illegal small-scale mining, commonly known as “galamsey.”
In response to Cudjoe’s assertions, Nkansah used alleged official data from the Minerals Commission to counter the narrative, highlighting inaccuracies in Cudjoe’s claims. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, October 8, he presented figures that demonstrate the number of licenses issued in recent years is far lower than previously stated by Cudjoe.
Nkansah emphasized that the data clearly shows the Minerals Commission has not irresponsibly approved licenses, labeling Cudjoe’s allegations as unfounded. He stressed that all licenses issued have undergone a rigorous process designed to promote responsible mining practices.
Furthermore, Nkansah pointed out that the government is making substantial efforts to formalize the small-scale mining sector to combat illegal activities, directly contradicting the criticisms leveled against it.
“Dear Franklin Cudjoe, these are figures on small-scale mining licenses issued since 2012 from the Minerals Commission. The CEO presented this to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s committee in Parliament yesterday. They will issue a press release to counter all the falsehood you guys are spreading,” Nkansah remarked.
He also noted that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) issued more licenses from 2012 to 2016 (1,402) than the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has granted in eight years (1,014). “The 2020 NPP figure was high because when the ban was lifted, there was a huge rush for licenses,” he added.
In response, Cudjoe reiterated his position, stating, “Ignore any government-sponsored propaganda that claims over a 1,000 mining licenses were granted by 2016. As my colleague Bright Simons’ verified research shows, between 1988 and 2022, only 150 mining licenses were granted. Between 2022 and now, 1,400 plus licenses were issued and carelessly regulated simply because most of the licenses were granted by highly placed politicians to their kind who were given freedom to mine recklessly.”