Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, asserts the John Dramani Mahama administration is more committed to combating illegal mining than the previous administration.
According to the Minister, 1,400 arrests have been made in just eight months, surpassing the 800 apprehensions made under the Akufo-Addo administration in three years.
In a GTV interview on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, the Minister shared that some seized equipment from galamsey operators have been given to state institutions, including the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, for public use.
“We have seized 440 excavators and more than 800 changfans, some of which have been repurposed for the Ministry of Agriculture,” he said.
According to him, the government intends stepping up on its action against the menace, adding that the equipment seizures forms part of a broader intervention meant to curb the canker.
The interventions, he noted, is coordinated through the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), which involves the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Local Government, the Attorney-General’s Department, and other agencies.
To ensure respective agencies carry out their duties accordingly, the Minister stated that over 400 security personnel are undergoing training in enforcement, licensing, and mining regulations.
The government also intends to repeal Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2501, which amended L.I. 2462 as part of policy reforms aimed at curtailing the practice.
“The Attorney-General is ready, and as soon as Parliament reconvenes, we will take this step. This government is responding to all concerns raised,” he said.
The Mahama administration, Mr. Buah added, has so far not issued any new mining leases in forest reserves since it assumed office.
“We are focused stopping the bleeding. No new mining leases have been issued in forest reserves under this administration. All existing leases were granted by the previous government,” he said.
The Minister was further confident that the repeal of L.I. 2501, would strengthen reforms in the small-scale mining sector and supplement other interventions such as declaring water bodies and forest reserves as national security zones, enforcing mining regulations, and expanding reclamation programmes.
The Tree for Life Initiative, the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle added, is part of the government’s interventions aimed at planting 60 million seedlings with the private sector to restore the environment.
“This year, we aimed to plant 30 million trees but are now planting 60 million,” he noted.
He further said the President had declared all water bodies and forest reserves as national security zones, with permanent military deployments planned. He maintained that while calls had been made for a state of emergency, the government’s strategy was showing results.
“We are under no illusion that this crisis, inherited after years of devastation, will be solved in eight months. But we are making progress and will strengthen our strategies as needed,” he said.
Mr Buah called on chiefs, community leaders, and the public to support the government’s efforts, warning that the destruction of rivers and forests was destroying “the soul of our country.”
5,500 hectares of Ghana’s forest reserves destroyed by galamsey – Lands Minister discloses
