The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has revealed that illegal miners are now operating with highly sophisticated weapons, posing a serious security threat and making enforcement efforts increasingly difficult.
Addressing Parliament on the state of the country’s forest reserves and water bodies, the Minister disclosed that illegal mining syndicates, commonly referred to as galamsey operators, have taken over vast portions of Ghana’s protected forest reserves and are using violence to resist security interventions.
“These illegal mining thugs are heavily armed with very sophisticated weapons and operate in large numbers with excavators. This makes it extremely difficult for Forestry Guards and the Rapid Response Teams to control them since they do not have the same level of firepower,” he stated.
According to the Minister, out of the 288 designated forest reserves in the country, 44 have been severely affected by illegal mining activities, with over 5,000 hectares of land—equivalent to 7,500 standard football pitches—completely destroyed. In some cases, the situation has spiralled out of control.
“More than nine of these reserves have been entirely taken over by illegal miners. The Forestry Commission no longer has access to these areas, and the miners are operating with impunity,” Mr. Buah lamented.
The Minister painted a grim picture of how illegal miners have not only devastated Ghana’s forests but also contaminated major water bodies with toxic chemicals such as mercury and cyanide. He cited the South-Western Basin, which includes the Ankobra, Pra, Offin, Birim, Tano, and Bia rivers, as one of the hardest-hit areas, with pollution levels soaring beyond treatable limits.
In response, Mr. Buah outlined a series of emergency measures, including the deployment of River Guards under the government’s Blue Water Initiative to reclaim water bodies from illegal miners. The Ministry has also inaugurated a committee of experts to review mining regulations and recommend immediate reforms to combat illegal mining within forest reserves.
Despite these efforts, the Minister stressed that without a united national front, the fight against illegal mining could be lost.
“This is not a battle for one individual but a collective struggle that demands the support of all Ghanaians, including traditional leaders, security agencies, and lawmakers,” he urged.
