Giving a bloke with a shovel a license is an easy decision,...

Giving a bloke with a shovel a license is an easy decision, giving a license to company who is about to rip a massive hole in your countryside with possible environmental, economical and social impacts good and maybe bad should be more considered. I feel that the 7000 artisenal licenses not only keeps the local people happy but clears the decks to allow for the more serious assessments of companies applications. As a government you want to get this bit right especially if you are trying to ensure avoiding a repeat of a certain gold company and ensure some of the money stays in country, royalties, and as you say employment of local people and so on is all set and by the new rules.

Then in setting the new rules they have also set road blocks like the banking issue and negotiations on how to "fix" the road blocks is going to take time. Not an issue for local shovel owners but a big problem for some, not all, international companies.

The wait will be worth it.