Small-Scale Mining:  Cabinet approves new national programme to drive sustainable livelihoods

The government has approved the implementation of a new national programme aimed at transforming Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) into a more sustainable, environmentally responsible, and economically viable sector.

The initiative, known as the Re­sponsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP), was approved by Cabinet following a proposal from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

It aligns with the vision of President John Dramani Mahama to create sustainable jobs through responsible cooperative mining.

In a press release shared with The Ghanaian Times yester­day, and signed by Director of Communications at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia, it said the new programme consolidates and replaces two earlier inter­ventions the Community Mining Scheme (CMS) and the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NAELP) by building on their lessons and addressing their shortcomings through improved coordination, implementation, and resource efficiency.

At the heart of rCOMSDEP, the statement said, is the pro­motion of locally owned mining cooperatives that will receive legal concessions, professional training, and access to shared, mercury-free processing facilities equipped with modern mineral recovery technol­ogies and water treatment systems. These measures are expected to significantly enhance operational efficiency while eliminating the harmful use of mercury in gold processing.

It also said the programme places a strong emphasis on skills development, offering vocational, technical, agricultural, digital, and entrepreneurial training to equip especially youth and women with the tools for alternative employ­ment and self-sufficiency.

According to the statement, it is structured around six intercon­nected components: the estab­lishment of community-owned mining enterprises, provision of mine support services such as equipment leasing and regulatory training, delivery of skills and entrepreneurship programmes, environmental rehabilitation of degraded lands, agricultural value chain development, and invest­ment in community infrastructure such as water systems, schools, clinics, and renewable energy.

The Ministry called on tradition­al authorities, youth groups, civil society, and private sector actors to fully engage in the rollout of rCOMSDEP, adding that the pro­gramme offers a transformative opportunity to reshape the future of small-scale mining, restore degraded environments, and foster inclusive economic growth.

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