The government says it has made over 500 arrests in the last five months as part of renewed efforts to combat illegal mining, while also rolling out a major land restoration initiative targeting 10,000 hectares of degraded land.
The intensified crackdown, according to officials, is aimed at reversing the environmental destruction caused by years of unchecked mining activities.
However, the persistently low rate of prosecution is fuelling concerns about the overall effectiveness of the country’s anti-galamsey campaign. The issue continues to threaten farmlands, pollute water sources, and disrupt livelihoods across 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.
Source: citinewsroom
