Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has revealed the scale of the government’s renewed assault on illegal mining, announcing that more than 1,300 people have been arrested and hundreds of excavators and other equipment seized since the latest round of operations began.
Delivering a comprehensive update on Wednesday, July 23, during the Government Accountability Series, the Minister declared that the nationwide crackdown is gaining momentum, with law enforcement and prosecutorial action moving in tandem.
“We have seized 425 excavators and other machinery. We have also made 1,345 arrests nationwide since we started, and prosecutions are steadily progressing. I believe that the Attorney General will speak to these prosecutions and give us an update when he takes his turn,” he stated.
Mr. Buah credited the Forestry Commission with playing a central role in the enforcement drive, highlighting that a significant portion of the seizures and arrests originated from operations conducted in Ghana’s forest reserves. Under these operations, the Commission confiscated 177 excavators, 4 bulldozers, 12 vehicles, 43 motorbikes, 155 pumping machines, 185 chamfan machines, 15 gold detectors, and 10 heavy-duty generators. A total of 286 individuals were arrested during these forest-based raids.
“These numbers make up the total I mentioned earlier, underscoring the multi-agency collaboration in tackling the illegal mining menace,” the Minister explained, noting that this effort reflects the collective resolve of government agencies to restore control over the country’s mineral resources.
The update signals a serious escalation in the government’s campaign to combat galamsey, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas. It comes at a time when concerns over the destruction of forests, rivers, and farmland by unregulated mining have reached critical levels.
Mr. Buah reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to protecting Ghana’s natural heritage from degradation, calling the crackdown a necessary intervention to reclaim forest reserves and safeguard the future of the nation’s ecosystems.
As the operation continues, the public is now looking to the Attorney General’s office for a full account of the status of prosecutions—an essential step in holding offenders accountable and restoring confidence in the rule of law.
