The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, in collaboration with National Security, has banned all forms of mining activities for two weeks within Nweneso No.1 and 2 in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region to pave way for the reclamation of degraded lands in the area.
Alhaji Nje Abdala Omar, Deputy Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, announced that the directives came from an emergency meeting conveyed by the Regional Coordinating Council headed by the Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene upon a visit by the National Security, in partnership with the Minerals Development Fund (MDF) and National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), to the area to assess and evaluate the progress of work towards the reclamation programme and ascertain the challenges on the degraded lands site by illegal Miners, on Monday, July 13, 2026.
“The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council places a ban on any form of mining, be it small-scale or large-scale, for two weeks to ensure that the reclamation exercise takes effect to make it possible to recover the degraded lands for farming and productive purposes in the area,” he said.
Alhaji Nje expressed the hope that the directive is earmarked to ensure that by the end of the two-week period, most of the degraded lands would be restored.
He reiterated that National Security, in partnership with the Minerals Development Fund and the Regional Coordinating Council, has done significant work in terms of the reclamation exercise in the region to restore degraded lands for productive use in most of the mining areas in Ghana.
According to him, the emergency meeting of the Ashanti Regional Security Council decided to take it up and start with Nweneso No.1 and 2. And are not going to end it at the two communities but will extend the inspections and evaluation exercise to other districts within the region.
He cautioned all mining companies and local operators engaged in mining to strictly adhere to the directives on the reclamation exercise and desist from illegal mining activities that destroy farmlands, water bodies, and forest reserves.
He said that any excavator or mining machine found flouting environmental laws will be confiscated and may not be returned to the owner.
He stressed that the machines will be confiscated for flouting environmental laws while owners may lose them forever, because it will not be returned to them.
He commended Danmark mining company for showing the way in embarking on a massive reclamation exercise in the district and entreated other miners and local companies to emulate their shining example.
By Benjamin Aidoo
