Professor Stephen Adei, former Rector of GIMPA, urged the government to enforce responsible small-scale mining, stating that Ghana's gold production should not come at the cost of poisoned rivers and destroyed farmlands. He suggested focusing on responsible mining rather than halting the practice altogether. According to Professor Adei, recorded gold production increased from 63 tonnes in 2024 to 103 tonnes in 2025, largely due to improved capture from small-scale miners and the establishment of the Ghana Gold Board. This brought more gold into the formal system, addressing concerns about unrecorded exports. He cautioned that economic benefits from gold sales to the Bank of Ghana were partly supported by favourable international prices. Professor Adei highlighted that despite small-scale mining accounting for over half of Ghana's gold exports, the state collected no royalties from the sector, according to figures from the Institute of Fiscal Studies. He expressed concern over river pollution and farmland destruction from irresponsible mining, advocating for safeguards to protect the environment and public health.