President John Mahama has announced that excavators can no longer be imported into Ghana without a government-issued permit, a move aimed at combating illegal mining and protecting the country’s water bodies.
Speaking at the Global Mining in Motion Summit on Monday, June 2, 2025, Mahama emphasized the need for stricter regulations to control mining activities.
“We are going to change the permitting regime. You will not be allowed to import an excavator or put it on a ship unless you get a permit before you can bring an excavator,” he stated.
Mahama expressed concern over the overwhelming number of excavators in Ghana, saying, “Ghana has more excavators than any other country in Africa.”
As part of measures to curb illegal mining, excavators will now be tracked to determine if they are being used unlawfully.
“We will track excavators as the ministers said, in order to know if they are being used for illegal mining or not,” he added.
Mahama clarified that artisanal miners are not enemies of the state. With proper training and support, they could contribute positively to Ghana’s development.
“Artisanal miners, are not enemies of the state. If properly trained and supported, they can be allies in our development. Working together with small scale miners will reclaim our forest reserves and restore the purity of our water bodies. Our river guards are working on clearing mining activities in our water bodies and on the banks of our rivers. We have successfully cleared out illegal miners out of nine no go zone forest reserves,” he explained.
The President attributed illegal mining’s devastating environmental impact to poor governance and lack of enforcement.
“Mining cannot be sustainable unless it is also responsible. Environmental degradation, water pollution and community displacement are not inevitable by-products of mining. They are the consequences of poor governance and enforcement. By strengthening the environment, social and governance framework, across the mining sector this will include mandating site rehabilitation. This means that small scale miners and medium scale miners must also have rehabilitation clauses in their permits to reclaim the land,” Mahama emphasized.
