The Ashanti regional minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, has called for sustained, intelligence-led enforcement that targets not only workers at galamsey sites but also financiers, equipment owners and facilitators.
Speaking at Climate Talks 2026 in Kumasi on Tuesday, September 23, Dr Amoakohene said illegal mining in the region is not an abstract conversation but one that touches rivers such as the Offin, Oda and Pra, as well as forest reserves, farmlands, livelihoods and public health.
According to him, since illegal mining directly impacts climate change, it must be tackled holistically.
“We must sustain enforcement and not allow illegal mining to be addressed through occasional operations,” he said, stressing that “enforcement must be continuous, intelligence-led and focused not only on workers at mining sites, but also on financiers, equipment owners and those who facilitate illegal operations.”
“Nobody should be protected because of political, traditional, economic or social connections. Accountability must be enforced across the entire chain,” he added.
He said government’s current approach goes beyond occasional operations to include stakeholder engagement, regulatory reforms, law enforcement, reclamation and alternative livelihoods, but warned that five critical actions must be pursued to make the interventions succeed.
“First, we must sustain enforcement. Second, we must strengthen accountability across the entire chain. Nobody should be protected because of political, traditional, economic or social connections,” he said.
He also called for making communities partners in the fight by creating safe reporting channels and ensuring they benefit from protecting natural resources, creating sustainable economic alternatives for young people, and restoring already degraded lands.
“We cannot simply remove illegal miners and leave behind dangerous pits and destroyed landscapes. We must reclaim the pits, restore degraded lands and work towards bringing our polluted rivers back to health,” he stressed.
Dr Amoakohene said climate change and illegal mining are interconnected and weaken the economic and social resilience of communities, adding that the Ashanti region cannot afford to lose its rivers, forests and productive agricultural lands.
The event, organised in partnership with the German Embassy, brought together German Ambassador to Ghana, Frederik Landshöft, MMDCEs, traditional leaders, security services, small-scale miners, Technocrats from KNUST, Tropenbos Ghana and community representatives.
