The Forestry Commission (FC) says intensified enforcement operations within forest reserves across the country have led to the seizure of illegal mining equipment worth millions of cedis, marking significant gains in forest protection efforts in 2025.
Addressing journalists at the Commission’s Annual Press Briefing in Accra on Monday, December 15, 2025, the Chief Executive, Mr Hugh Brown, said sustained collaboration with security agencies and community stakeholders had significantly reduced illegal mining activities in forest reserves.
According to him, at the beginning of the year, 50 forest reserves and one national park were affected by illegal mining, with nine classified as Red Zones due to the intensity of activities and the presence of armed guards. He announced that as of December 10, 2025, no forest reserve remained in the Red Zone.
Mr Brown said enforcement operations carried out since March resulted in the seizure of 199 excavators, 21 vehicles, four bulldozers, 227 pumping machines, 69 motorbikes, 13 tricycles, 28 gold detector machines and 13 heavy-duty generators. Additionally, 189 chanfan machines were seized, while 646 others were destroyed.
He disclosed that 453 suspects had been arrested and were currently facing prosecution. The High Court, he added, had granted confiscation orders for 158 excavators, two bulldozers and 16 vehicles, while other seized equipment was undergoing legal processes for forfeiture to the state.
Despite these gains, Mr Brown expressed concern over attacks on Forestry Commission staff, revealing that nine personnel sustained injuries during operations this year. He commended the Commission’s frontline teams, as well as the Ghana Police Service and the military, for their commitment and sacrifices.
The Chief Executive also praised community-led efforts against illegal mining, citing farming communities in the Bia West District of the Western North Region and the Adumasa community near the Jimira Forest Reserve for resisting illegal miners and supporting law enforcement efforts.
Beyond enforcement, Mr Brown said the Commission had intensified reclamation and reforestation of degraded lands under the government’s Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative. The programme, he noted, has resulted in the planting of 26.1 million tree seedlings nationwide and the creation of more than 58,000 green and allied jobs through public and private sector participation.
He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to sustaining the gains made, stressing the need for continued vigilance, stronger laws and sustained public support to permanently eliminate illegal mining from forest reserves.