The government reports that it has made over 500 arrests in the past five months as part of a renewed effort to combat illegal mining. Additionally, a major land restoration initiative has been launched, aiming to rehabilitate 10,000 hectares of degraded land. Officials state that this intensified crackdown is designed to counteract the environmental destruction caused by years of unchecked mining activities. However, concerns remain about the overall effectiveness of the country’s anti-galamsey campaign due to the persistently low rate of prosecution.
This ongoing issue threatens farmlands, pollutes water sources, and disrupts livelihoods in affected communities. According to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, one of the biggest setbacks in previous enforcement efforts has been the inability to secure convictions. “From 2022 to 2024, out of 845 arrests we made, we couldn’t even prosecute. Only 35 were prosecuted, and that is 4%, and that is really the challenge we had to face,” the Sector Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said.
The Minister also revealed the number of arrests made so far under the renewed operations. He pointed to political interference in the licensing process as another obstacle that had historically weakened the integrity of mining regulation. “For those who were getting the licenses, they were getting them because they were politically connected, so we were not following due diligence in doing it. Often time people will take licenses from Accra and go to a mining community, wave it, and this is the first time in seen the investor. All of that had to change,” he said.
Amid these setbacks, President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling illegal mining and restoring damaged lands. “The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the GoldBod, is also soon to launch the incorporation with the private sector, an ambitious project to reclaim 10,000 hectares of mined-out lands, so let us move from competition to collaboration,” the President said.
By: Akosua Otchere
