{"id":114816,"date":"2026-02-10T14:56:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=114816"},"modified":"2026-02-10T14:56:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:56:20","slug":"ghana-deploys-ai-and-drones-to-shift-mining-regulation-from-reactive-to-preventive-minerals-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=114816","title":{"rendered":"Ghana deploys AI and drones to shift mining regulation from reactive to preventive \u2014 Minerals Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Emmanuel Kwamena Ayeme, says the government is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and drone technology to transform mining regulation in Ghana from a largely reactive process to a proactive and preventive system.<\/p>\n

According to Mr Ayeme, traditional inspection methods are increasingly inadequate in addressing persistent challenges such as illegal mining, environmental degradation and the difficulty of monitoring operations across vast and remote areas.<\/p>\n

Speaking at a conference on the use of drones in Africa on Tuesday, February 10, he said the Commission has adopted drone surveillance and AI-powered analytics to strengthen regulatory oversight and enforcement.<\/p>\n

He explained that drones now enable regulators to conduct real-time monitoring of mining sites, detect illegal operations, assess environmental impact and verify compliance with approved mining plans. These tools, he noted, improve efficiency, reduce operational costs, enhance inspector safety and generate high-quality data to support enforcement actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen combined with artificial intelligence, these technologies become even more powerful,\u201d Mr Ayeme said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI allows regulators to analyse large volumes of aerial and geospatial data, automatically identify signs of non-compliance, and predict environmental risks before they escalate. This shifts regulation from a reactive approach to a proactive and preventive system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Ayeme disclosed that the Minerals Commission has already deployed drone surveillance to monitor illegal mining activities in environmentally sensitive areas, including parts of the Ashanti and Western Regions.<\/p>\n

He said the aerial data gathered has helped identify unlicensed operations, track land degradation and support coordinated enforcement actions with other state agencies, including the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the Allied Police Unit (APU).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has improved accuracy, reduced response time, and strengthened evidence-based decision-making. However, technology must be supported with clear, forward-looking policy,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

Mr Ayeme called on the government to establish a robust legal framework for the use of drones in regulatory oversight, align mining, aviation and data protection regulations, and invest in institutional capacity to manage and interpret digital data.<\/p>\n

Such a policy framework, he argued, would promote collaboration with technology providers and local innovators while safeguarding citizens\u2019 privacy and national interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the Minerals Commission, our objective is to ensure that innovation strengthens regulation while protecting communities, the environment, and national interest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrong policy provides confidence to investors, reassurance to communities, and effectiveness to regulators.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that embracing smart regulatory technologies is critical to promoting responsible mining, improving transparency and building public trust in mining governance, not only in Ghana but across Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn mining, data is as good as money. Ladies and gentlemen, drone innovation supported by sound policy and effective oversight offers the government a powerful pathway to sustainable mining and shared responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Emmanuel Kwamena Ayeme, says the government is leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drone technology to transform mining regulation in Ghana from a largely reactive process to a proactive and preventive system.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4337,16683,4445,2004,1883,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence-ai","category-drone-technology","category-minerals-commission","category-mining","category-national","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114816\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}