The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has dramatically escalated the government’s fight against illegal mining (galamsey), with sector Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah declaring all forest reserves and river bodies as permanent Security Zones to be protected “at all costs.”
Armah Buah, who also holds the portfolio of Acting Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, delivered this uncompromising directive at the closing ceremony of a week-long intensive training program for personnel of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) in Sunyani. He commended the team for the relentless efforts and significant achievements chalked up since the secretariat’s establishment in June of this year.
A Mandate for Uncompromising Enforcement
Addressing the newly trained task force, the Minister issued a direct and stern charge, characterizing the environmental destruction as an act of treason.
“You are the sharpened tip of the spear,” he told the personnel. “Any recalcitrant entrant into these declared Security Zones is not merely a trespasser; they are an enemy of the state and are to be treated as such. You are to be firm, resolute, and ruthless against those who seek to profit from the destruction of our common heritage and at our expense.”
He stressed that the battle was far from over, describing the training not as a routine exercise but as a convergence of purpose—sharpening skills, building cohesion, and harmonizing efforts among officers from the Ghana Army, Police Service, Immigration Service, National Investigations Bureau (NIB), and Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) as one united force. The training modules, covering weapons handling, field craft, IED awareness, and intelligence coordination, were specifically designed to prepare the team to deal with evolving threats.
Sustaining Gains and Long-Term Strategy
The declaration comes as NAIMOS reports substantial progress, including the arrests of over 1,000 illegal miners, the repossession of nine previously inaccessible forest reserves, and the confiscation of over 900 water pumps, which have since been transferred to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to support farmers with irrigation projects. Emmanuel Kofi Buah emphasized that these are not “mere statistics,” but “victories for our land, for our water, and for our people.”
He further outlined the Ministry’s 5-Pronged Strategy, which combines strict enforcement, engagement and education, provision of alternative livelihoods, technological innovation, and institutional coordination. The NAIMOS personnel will now be deployed permanently in the forest reserves and along river bodies to provide sustained protection.
The Field Task Force training marks a pivotal moment in the government’s aggressive anti-galamsey strategy, which is focused not only on scaling up enforcement but also on sustaining reforms in the mining sector to ensure responsible and sustainable practices across the country. The Minister urged the task force to embody vigilance, integrity, and courage, with the assurance that the President and well-meaning Ghanaians are relying on them to secure the environment for future generations. “We cannot fail, and we will not fail,” he stressed.
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
