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No legal cover for mining in rivers and forests – Cudjoe explains Sammy Gyamfi's stance

Franklin Cudjoe is the President of IMANI Africa

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 Source: www.ghanaweb.com

President of IMANI Africa Franklin Cudjoe says illegal mining operations in or near water bodies, within forest reserves, and in areas that pose risks to community safety cannot be legalised.

He said such operations do not qualify for the formalisation process outlined by Sammy Gyamfi.

In a post shared via X, Cudjoe said Gyamfi’s explanation was straightforward and should not be overcomplicated.

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“Stop overthinking. Sammy Gyamfi spoke simple language… This is not a PhD thesis!” he wrote.

Cudjoe explained that formalisation involves bringing unlicensed miners into a legal framework in which they must comply with mining laws, pay taxes and meet environmental requirements.

However, he said Gyamfi had identified three categories of unlicensed mining as “irredeemably wrong” and excluded them from the process.

These include mining in or near water bodies, mining within forest reserves, and mining in locations that pose risks to community safety.

He cited roadsides, school lands and residential yards as examples of unsafe locations where mining operations would not qualify for formalisation.

“If an operation is found in any of these zones, it is shut down permanently. If it operates outside these zones, it transitions to the next phase,” Cudjoe stated.

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For miners operating outside the prohibited areas, he explained that the process involves identifying suitable locations, registering their operations, meeting environmental requirements and undergoing continuous monitoring.

He cited the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme as frameworks for bringing eligible operators into the legal mining sector.

*STOP OVER THINKING. SAMMY GYAMFI SPOKE SIMPLE LANGUAGE...THIS IS NOT A PHD THESIS!*

1. Formalising illegal or unlicensed artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)—commonly known as galamsey—in Ghana involves transitioning informal operators into legal, regulated frameworks such as the Minerals and Mining Act (Act 703) and government initiatives like the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme

2. The process of transition from informal or illegal operations (such as galamsey) to a legally recognized framework follows structural phases designed to bring operators under regulatory oversight, tax systems, and environmental compliance.

3. Formalisation shifts illegal activities into a structured legal framework using a phased model of zoning, legal incorporation, environmental compliance, and continuous monitoring.

4. *Now what did Sammy Gyanfi say* ? Sammy Gyamfi identifies three categories of unlicensed mining that are "irredeemably wrong" and completely barred from entering the formalisation pipeline:

• Mining that impacts or takes place near water bodies.

• Mining within forest reserves.

• Mining in unsafe community areas (e.g., roadsides, school lands, or residential yards).

5. If an operation is found in any of these zones, it is shut down permanently. If it operates outside these zones, it transitions to the next phase...

6. *This is not a PhD thesis!*

7. *Finished* !
— Franklin CUDJOE (@lordcudjoe) October 26, 2026