Small-scale miners export 85.4 tonnes of gold worth $11.6bn

Ghana's small-scale mining sector has achieved a milestone in the first ten months of 2025, exporting 85.4 tonnes of gold valued at approximately $11.6 billion. This performance, recorded between January and October, represents a significant shift in the country's extractive industry as small-scale operations have now outperformed large-scale commercial mines in both total export volume and value. While these record earnings provide a substantial boost to the national economy under the administration of President John Mahama, they also highlight the growing dominance of local and artisanal miners in the global gold market.

The surge in output comes amid a period of high global gold prices and increased activity within the local mining landscape. According to data highlighted by the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), the $11.6 billion generated by small-scale miners underscores the sector's potential as a primary driver of foreign exchange. To manage this growth, the government has been focusing on formalizing the sector through initiatives such as the Responsible Cooperative Mining Scheme. This program aims to bring unlicensed miners into a regulated framework to ensure that the state and local communities benefit more effectively from the nation's mineral wealth.

Despite the financial windfall, experts are raising alarms about the environmental and health costs associated with this level of production. The UNU-INRA reports that environmental degradation and health risks remain severe in many mining regions, where water pollution levels have frequently exceeded safety limits. Harmful substances, including arsenic and mercury, have been detected in local vegetation and water bodies. The Director of UNU-INRA emphasizes that the "real bill" for this gold is being paid through public health crises and environmental damage, costs that the headline export figure does not reflect.

Moving forward, the government is prioritizing the tracking of gold sourcing and the implementation of sustainable mining practices to mitigate these risks. The goal is to balance the immediate economic benefits of high gold exports with the necessity of protecting Ghana's natural ecosystem and the health of its citizens. By utilizing new assessment methods to measure the true impact of mining on local communities, Ghana aims to demonstrate how to manage artisanal wealth responsibly without sacrificing the wellbeing of future generations.