All machinery used in mining activities must be registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) by August 1, 2025, as directed by the Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry has warned that any unregistered equipment after this deadline will be confiscated by the state. A statement signed by the Minister of the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, indicated that the Ghana Police Service and the DVLA have been instructed to rigorously enforce this directive starting August 2, 2025.
Reform
The government is implementing reforms in the mining sector to monitor the activities of mining entities and combat illegal mining in the country. A statement has advised the public, particularly those using mining machinery, to adhere to this new directive. The Ministry of the Interior expressed its commitment to ensuring internal security and maintaining law and order.
Since taking office, the government has actively addressed illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey, resulting in numerous arrests and the confiscation of mining equipment. Earlier this year, in May, the government mandated that owners and operators of excavators register their machinery with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) within two weeks to avoid confiscation by the state. Julius Neequaye Kotey, the Chief Executive Officer of DVLA, stated that any unregistered excavator would be confiscated effective June 1.
Briefing
At a media briefing in Accra, Mr Kotey stressed that after the two-week ultimatum, the police and the DVLA’s operational team would confiscate any excavator at any mining site or in commercial use, which has not been registered with the DVLA. Additionally, he said, the DVLA, in collaboration with other state agencies such as the Minerals Commission, National Security, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, had started registering and tagging all new excavators coming into the country.
“This exercise is to enable the identification of every excavator and equipment that enters the country and to trace their ownership, including their operations, to curb the phenomenon of unregistered excavators and farm equipment in the system, which cannot be tracked for their activities,” he said. He added that the inter-agency collaboration was meant to facilitate the government’s effort to fight illegal mining.
By: Emmanuel Bonney