(1) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, no person shall engage in or undertake any small-scale gold mining operation unless there is in existence in respect of such mining operation a licence granted by the Secretary for Lands and Natural Resources or by an officer authorised in that behalf by the Secretary.
A small-scale mining licence may only be granted to a citizen of Ghana who is at least 18 years old, and is registered by the office of the Minerals Commission in an area designated as a small-scale mining area.