Ghana loses 44 forest reserves, over 5,252 hectares destroyed by galamsey — Lands Minister

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has said 44 forest reserves out of 288 in the country have been degraded, while over 5,252 hectares have been lost to illegal mining (galamsey).

He explained that river turbidity levels exceeded 5,000 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), far beyond the permissible 500 NTU, while toxic chemicals such as mercury and cyanide further endangered ecosystems and communities.

Mr Buah revealed this in a speech delivered on his behalf at the closing ceremony of the 4th Annual Transformational Dialogue on Small-scale Mining, organised by the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Fiapre, Bono Region, last Thursday.

The two-day dialogue was held on the theme: "Eliminating Illegal Mining in Ghana. The Will and the Bill."

Data alarming, arrests

The minister said the government alone could not eradicate galamsey. "It requires the collective will of communities, industries, stakeholders, traditional leaders and environmental advocates," he said.

Mr Buah said the data was alarming. Updating the gathering on the fight against galamsey, he revealed 150 excavators, five bulldozers and weapons had been confiscated, while 71 persons had been arrested.

Mr Buah said that due to enforcement, seven of nine previously inaccessible forest reserves had been cleared.

He said despite past interventions, illegal mining persisted, fuelled by weak political will, inconsistent enforcement and complicity at various levels of governance.

Mr Buah said other factors were security gaps, inadequate geological data, delay in prosecutions, foreign infiltration, greed and complicity among some politicians, traditional leaders and citizens.

Other issues, he mentioned, were the use of armed gangs by illegal miners to intimidate and resist enforcement and the unregulated equipment importation, such as excavators and other machinery. 

Systemic change

Mr Buah said eradicating illegal mining demanded more than just laws, explaining that it required political will, collective action and systemic change. 

He said the current government was resolute in its mission to eradicate the destructive practice and called for  collective action to eliminate the menace.

Mr Buah called for the strengthening of legal frameworks to ensure robust enforcement within the community, economic alternatives, and transparent governance to uphold ethical standards across the sector.

He said the government had adopted some strategies to facilitate a robust mining sector.

Mr Buah mentioned a licensing regime reform, where new licences would be issued at the district level with the involvement of traditional authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Revoke licences

He said the government had revoked all post-December 2024 licences due to irregularities and replaced the Community Mining Scheme with a Cooperative Mining Scheme.

Mr Buah said excavators were now geo-tagged and monitored 24/7; and non-compliance triggers remote immobilisation.

He said all excavators imported into the country would be registered and tracked while those already in existence would be registered.

Mr Buah said the government had enhanced a more robust joint task force, made up of the military, police, and the Forestry Commission, to flush out illegal miners.

He urged the public to report illegal activities to eliminate illegal mining and build a sector that thrives on sustainability, equity and national pride. 

Dialogue

The dialogue, he said, had not only highlighted the socio-economic contributions of ASM but had also confronted pressing issues such as environmental degradation and regulatory enforcement.

He explained that the ASM sector contributed significantly to the economy, accounting for a third of Ghana's gold production, employing about three million people, and bolstering rural economies while supporting millions of livelihoods.

"Yet, its potential is undermined by the scourge of galamsey, which ravages our environment, pollutes water bodies and threatens public health," Mr Buah said.

He said the scourge of galamsey threatened to eclipse the benefits, posing severe environmental, public health, and economic risks.

Writer's email: biiya.ali@graphic.com.gh