The government has arrested 1,345 people in a sweeping crackdown on illegal mining, with Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, declaring there will be “no let-up” in the fight to protect Ghana’s water bodies and forests.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Wednesday, Mr. Buah said the coordinated anti-galamsey operations — involving the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Armed Forces, and National Security Secretariat, have also led to the seizure of hundreds of machines used in illegal mining.
“425 excavators and other machinery have been seized. We have also made 1,345 arrests nationwide since we started, and prosecutions are steadily progressing,” the Minister told reporters.
The Forestry Commission alone, he revealed, has confiscated 177 excavators, 4 bulldozers, 12 vehicles, 43 motorcycles, 155 pumping machines, 184 chanfans, 15 detector machines, and 10 heavy-duty generators during raids in forest reserves. These actions accounted for 286 of the arrests.
To strengthen coordination, Mr. Buah announced the creation of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAMOS) as the central hub for the multi-agency response.
“NAMOS will ensure that our fight is organized and that no agency is working in isolation,” he explained.
He also disclosed that authorities, working with the Ministry of Transport and the Ghana Revenue Authority’s Customs Division, have begun tracking imports of excavators and heavy machinery.
“We are now able to track the excavators before they even set off to come to Ghana,” he said, noting that 1,200 excavators have been impounded at ports pending verification.
The government has also launched a Ghana Mine Repository and Tracking Software, hosted at the Minerals Commission, which integrates Customs, DVLA, National Security, and NAMOS to monitor heavy equipment. A pilot program is currently tracking 191 excavators via a dedicated control room.
To safeguard water bodies, 450 Blue Water Guards have been deployed within the first 120 days of the Mahama administration, with another 530 set to graduate on July 25, bringing the total to 980.
“The deployment strategy is non-confrontational,” Mr. Buah explained. “These guards act as intelligence officers and work with communities to raise awareness about environmental protection rather than resorting to force.”
The Blue Water Initiative, he added, will soon enter its second phase, focusing on dechemicalizing and restoring polluted water bodies, with feasibility studies already underway.
As part of cleaning up the sector, the Minister revealed that 55 small-scale mining licenses issued during the transitional period have been revoked.
Another 907 out of 1,278 licenses are under review for potential cancellation over irregularities, while large-scale mining licenses are also undergoing audits.
Assuring Ghanaians of action, Mr. Buah said prosecutions are moving forward. “We have drawn a line in the sand, and we will fight against irresponsible, reckless mining activities that endanger our very lives,” he declared.
“Government will continue to support responsible mining while ending galamsey for good.”
