Mineral Rights Allocation

The document outlines the categories and procedures for obtaining mineral rights in Ghana, while critiquing the current system for allowing mineral rights to be awarded before environmental impact assessments are conducted. It highlights a lack of precautionary environmental management, specifically regarding the timing of Environmental Management Plan submissions and the absence of mandatory parliamentary ratification for mining lease extensions.

• Ghana's mineral rights system is divided into small-scale operations (up to 25 acres, reserved for citizens) and large-scale operations (above 25 acres). Rights are further categorized as restricted for industrial minerals—such as basalt, clay, and limestone—which can only be granted to Ghanaians or non-Ghanaians investing over $10 million.
• The current regulatory framework allows mineral rights to be granted without a prior environmental impact assessment (EIA), which the document argues may lead to the approval of projects with adverse environmental consequences. This contrasts with jurisdictions like Sweden, Finland, Poland, Belgium, and Liberia, where EIAs are mandatory for granting concessions.
• The timing of Environmental Management Plan (EMP) submissions is identified as a failure of the precautionary approach, as operators are only required to submit an EMP within 18 months after commencing operations. This means the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot verify safeguards before potential irreversible harm occurs.
• Enforcement in the mining sector is hindered by governance issues and the prevalence of illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey). A 2021 Auditor-General report noted failures in posting reclamation bonds and monitoring operating plans, particularly for small-scale license holders.

APA

Martey, D., Godts, R., Akapame, C. K., Ichou, B., & Norteye, R. P. N. S. (2024). Mineral Rights Allocation. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/gzuf1ykj/ghana-mining-briefing-1.pdf

Chicago

Martey, Dennis, Raphaëlle Godts, Clement Kojo Akapame, Benjamin Ichou, and Ruth Pauline Naa Shormeh Norteye. Mineral Rights Allocation. ClientEarth, 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/gzuf1ykj/ghana-mining-briefing-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Martey |first1=Dennis |last2=Godts |first2=Raphaëlle |last3=Akapame |first3=Clement Kojo |last4=Ichou |first4=Benjamin |last5=Norteye |first5=Ruth Pauline Naa Shormeh |title=Mineral Rights Allocation |publisher=ClientEarth |date=June 2024 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/gzuf1ykj/ghana-mining-briefing-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{martey2024mineral, author = {Martey, Dennis and Godts, Raphaëlle and Akapame, Clement Kojo and Ichou, Benjamin and Norteye, Ruth Pauline Naa Shormeh}, title = {{Mineral Rights Allocation}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2024}, month = jun, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/gzuf1ykj/ghana-mining-briefing-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }