Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, says the government has adopted a ruthless approach towards dealing with illegal mining as it considers the menace a national security issue.
“Illegal mining is not just an environmental issue.
It is a serious crime that threatens national stability and regional peace,” he said.
Speaking at the fifth edition of the West Africa Mining Security Conference (WAMS) in Accra, the minister stated that illegal mining was now linked to transnational organised crime, money laundering, and even terrorist financing.
Citing findings from Ghana’s Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risk Assessment, he pointed out that over 60 per cent of illicit and organised crime proceeds in the region were connected to environmental and natural resource crimes, including illegal mining.
Arrests
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak said since January this year, security agencies had arrested over 1,000 suspects involved in illegal mining operations, including both local and foreign nationals.
Authorities have also seized more than 600 excavators and 500 water pumps so far, while over 1,200 hectares of degraded land have been reclaimed.
“These efforts reflect our government’s strong commitment to restoring sanity to the mining sector. But the threat is transnational and ever-changing. It requires strong collaboration across borders,” he added.
He said the government continued to engage local communities and civil society to promote lawful mining and environmental protection.
“The government is working closely with civil society organisations to address concerns identified by civil society organisations. The media is equally playing its part to curb this canker,” he added.
He mentioned that alternative livelihood programmes, mercury-free mining technologies and community sensitisation campaigns were being implemented to reduce dependence on illegal mining.
Regional stability
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak indicated that the government had strengthened its collaboration with international partners and regional bodies to fight cross-border crimes.
These efforts include intelligence sharing, capacity-building and the use of surveillance technologies, such as drones, to monitor illegal mining sites.
He said the government was also revising its Extradition Act and Mutual Legal Assistance Act to speed up cross-border prosecutions.
“This is why the West African Mining Security Initiative is so important.
No single country can handle these threats alone.
We must work together to dismantle criminal networks and protect the future of our mining industry,” he added.
In addition, a Transnational Organised Crime Strategy has been developed with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Action
The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Berenice Owen-Jones, called for a united action and stronger collaboration between governments, security agencies and the mining industry to create sustainable livelihoods across mining communities.
She said the conference was not only about mining, but about safeguarding development and regional stability.
Ms Owen-Jones said the WAMS had become an important platform for open dialogue on the evolving security landscape in West Africa and its impact on the mining sector.
NAIMOS operation
Meanwhile, the task force of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has arrested two foreign nationals for allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities in the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve in the Jomoro area in the Western North Region.
The mining site was found to be operating along the Tano River, with evidence of river diversion due to the illegal mining activities.
In last Wednesday’s intelligence-led operation, the task force was initially denied access to the forest by the Forest Guards, but they managed to force entry and apprehended the suspects.
According to the NAIMOS secretariat, the task force discovered one Toyota Land Cruiser V8 with registration number GR 442-14 with three occupants fleeing the scene.
Two of the occupants, both Chinese, were apprehended, while a third suspect, whose nationality was not immediately known, escaped.
Four excavators were found at the site, with three already immobilised, while the fourth excavator was immobilised by the task force.
The task force further destroyed two heavy water pumping machines and 12 makeshift structures at the site.
