Data from the Ghana Mining Repository reveals that more than 100 mining-related licenses were issued in the last week of former President Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
Of the 103 licenses granted in 2025, 102 were issued between January 1 and January 6, just before the swearing-in of President John Dramani Mahama.
Only one license has been issued since the new government took office.
The licenses include 21 for small-scale mining, along with prospecting and mining support services permits, bringing the total number of active mining licenses in Ghana to 2,127.
This surge in licensing has sparked concern amid growing public outcry over illegal mining and its devastating impact on forest reserves and water bodies.
The environmental degradation has also affected cocoa production, a key export commodity, with Ghana recording its lowest cocoa output in over two decades last season.
This decline has further reduced the country’s foreign exchange earnings.