THE Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah says licences of about 962 small scale mining companies face revo­cation as part of efforts to combat illegal mining.According to the Media Relations Officer at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, the minister made this known following a committee's report on the status of small scale mining licences across the country.The committee, which was established to review existing mining licenses pre­sented its report to the Minister at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on Monday, July 21, 2025.Per the committee's report, a total of 1278 licences were reviewed, out of which 316 were cleared off any irregularities.The remaining 962 were however fraught with multiple irregularities ranging from documentation gaps, process anom­alies and data quality.Reacting to this, the Minister warned that all 962 defective licence will be permanently revoked in two weeks if the anomalies are not rectified.He further indicated that his outfit is determined to preserve the environment and will take all necessary steps against persons who flout mining regulations.He also added that stringent measures are being put in place to reform the whole licensing regime as part of efforts to san­itise mining across the length and breadth of the country.The Minister is expected to offer more clarity on the latest directive on Wednes­day, July 23, 2025, during the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House, Accra.Meanwhile, a review of large scale mining licenses is also expected to begin to deal with irregularities in the large scale mining sector as well. BY TIMES REPORTER