Stakeholders Validate New Framework to Strengthen Formalisation and Responsible Gold Mining in Ghana

June 9, 2026

UNDP Ghana_AGSM.jpeg — Group photo of participants

Photos: Ernestina Ocansey / @UNDP Ghana

Strengthening Ghana’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector has far-reaching implications beyond regulation. It is central to protecting the environment, reducing mercury pollution, improving miner livelihoods, and ensuring that gold production contributes more sustainably to national development. A clearer and more responsive classification system is expected to improve how mining is regulated, make enforcement more effective, reduce conflicts, and support miners to transition into safer and more formalised operations.

It is against this backdrop that stakeholders convened to validate a draft framework that introduces a more structured and risk-based approach to categorising ASGM operations in Ghana under the planetGOLD Ghana Project.

The National Stakeholder Consultation Workshop brought together government institutions, mining sector actors, civil society organisations, traditional authorities and development partners to review and strengthen recommendations aimed at improving governance, formalisation and environmental performance in the mining sector.

Implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the planetGOLD Ghana Project is designed to reduce mercury use in artisanal mining while promoting responsible gold supply chains and safer mining practices.

Artisanal and small-scale mining remains a major source of employment and a key contributor to rural livelihoods in Ghana, but it also presents significant governance and environmental challenges, including land degradation, water pollution, informal operations and weak regulatory coordination across institutions.

The draft report under review recognises that these challenges are not solely enforcement issues, but are rooted in structural governance gaps, weak institutional coordination, and the lack of a differentiated system that reflects the diversity of mining operations across the country.

To address this, the report proposes a Ghana-tailored classification framework for Ghana that moves beyond purely legal definitions and instead categorises mining operations based on operational scale, mechanisation, production capacity, workforce size, environmental risk and compliance behaviour. This approach is designed to improve regulatory targeting, strengthen environmental oversight, and support more proportionate and effective enforcement.

At the core of the framework is a three-tier system distinguishing between Artisanal Mining, Small-Scale Mining and Medium-Scale Mining. This reflects the growing complexity of Ghana’s mining landscape, including the emergence of highly mechanised operations that sit between traditional artisanal mining and large-scale mining, often referred to as the “missing middle.”

The framework places strong emphasis on environmental protection and social inclusion, integrating indicators such as mercury use, land degradation, water pollution, occupational safety, and gender dynamics. It also recognises the critical but often constrained role of women across mining value chains, particularly in processing, trading and support services, while highlighting persistent barriers to land access, finance and leadership.

During the consultation, stakeholders examined the draft classification system and its implications for policy, regulation, and field-level implementation. Breakout group discussions focused on regulatory concerns, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and large-scale mining (LSM) coexistence models, and practical strategies for reducing encroachment on concessions, farms and protected areas while improving coordination across institutions.

Participants also highlighted long-standing challenges in the sector, including licensing complexity, weak district capacity, environmental governance gaps, and fragmented institutional coordination. There was strong support for simplified and decentralised systems, improved enforcement tools, and incentive-based formalisation pathways that encourage compliance rather than relying solely on punitive measures.

The consultation forms part of Component 1 of the planetGOLD Ghana Project, which focuses on optimising formalisation through jurisdictional and district-responsive approaches. The validation process is expected to strengthen consensus around a framework that is practical, inclusive and aligned with Ghana’s environmental and governance priorities.

Ultimately, the proposed classification system is expected to support Ghana’s transition toward mercury-free mining, improved environmental governance, stronger institutional coordination and more transparent and responsible gold supply chains, while safeguarding livelihoods and improving economic opportunities in mining communities.