The government’s flagship cooperative mining programme is being implemented too slowly to serve as a viable alternative to illegal mining, according to new findings by policy think tank Africa Policy Lens.

Ing Wisdom Gomashie, a fellow at the organisation, said a Right to Information (RTI) request revealed that only one cooperative mining site had been commissioned nationwide — and even that remains non-operational.

“Evidence suggests that no work is ongoing on the site,” Gomashie said on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday(9 June).

The cooperative mining scheme was introduced to replace the controversial community mining model and provide structured, legal employment for small-scale miners as part of efforts to curb illegal mining, widely known as galamsey.

But Gomashie said the data shows a significant gap between policy ambition and implementation.

“Technically, one year after rollout, only one site has been established, and it is still at the developmental stage,” he said.

The RTI response further indicated that no gold had been produced under the scheme, despite official claims linking gold sourcing to cooperative mining operations.

Gomashie described the findings as “very surprising,” noting that illegal mining continues to expand across the country.

“Galamsey is fast rising in mining districts while implementation of the cooperative mining policy is slow,” he said.

He warned that at the current pace, the programme is unlikely to provide a meaningful alternative to illegal mining in the near term.