President John Dramani Mahama says Ghana is making progress in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, as the government intensifies efforts to reclaim forest reserves and other environmentally sensitive areas affected by illegal mining activities.
According to the President, the government’s renewed campaign against illegal mining is beginning to yield results, particularly in forest reserves that had been heavily encroached upon by illegal miners.
President Mahama said the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has played a key role in the ongoing efforts, including the seizure of excavators and changfang machines used by illegal miners and the removal of miners from several forest reserves.
He made the remarks during his Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper East Region, where he reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting the country’s forests, water bodies and other natural resources from the devastating effects of illegal mining.
President Mahama said NAIMOS had intensified its operations and was making progress in reclaiming forest reserves invaded by illegal miners.
“NAIMOS is working very hard. We have seized excavators, we have seized Changfang machines, and we have driven illegal miners out of this area, and we are making progress. Out of the almost 49 forest reserves that were invaded [by illegal miners], we have been able to clear as many of them as possible of illegal miners.
“What we initially did was that we handed the places to the Forestry Commission after clearing them, but the illegal miners don’t fear the forest guards, and so we now put a military detachment after we clear a forest reserve.
“That means we will have to spend more money to feed the soldiers and provide logistics for them to continue to stay in the forest, but we will not give up the fight.”
The President acknowledged the additional resources required to sustain security deployments in reclaimed forest reserves but said the government would remain committed to preventing illegal miners from returning to the cleared areas.
Illegal mining remains one of Ghana’s most pressing environmental challenges, with successive governments facing difficulties in enforcing regulations and preventing miners from returning to areas that have previously been cleared.
