Following the introduction of a geo-fencing system to prevent the use of excavators outside of licensed mining concessions, more than 3,000 excavators being held under Ghana's equipment tracking programme have remain unclaimed at the Tema Port, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has said.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) the minister said nearly 2,000 excavators already operating at mining sites across the country were being monitored around the clock through the geo-fencing system to prevent their use outside licensed concessions.
"We still have over 3,000 excavators waiting for the owners to pick," he said.
Mr Buah said the equipment tracking exercise formed part of the government's efforts to regulate the use of earth-moving equipment and curb illegal mining.
He said the programme began in July, 2025, when about 1,200 excavators were impounded at Tema Port pending verification and registration.
According to him, by September, 2025, a total of 1,015 excavators had been registered nationwide, with tracking devices installed on 647 of them.
He said registrations had increased to 1,800 by January, 2026, while 1,033 excavators had been fitted with tracking devices.
Mr Buah said the latest figures showed that 4,300 earth-moving and mining equipment units had now been registered at Tema Port, with 1,864 tracking devices installed.
He added that 52 training programmes on mercury pollution control had also been conducted between January and June, 2026.
Regulations
Mr Buah said the tracking system operates under the Minerals and Mining (Mineral Operations, Tracking of Earth-Moving and Mining Equipment) Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2404).
He explained that the regulations require all earth-moving equipment used for mining to be registered and restrict their operation to licensed mining concessions.
He said the programme was being implemented by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in partnership with the Ministry of Transport, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority and the Minerals Commission.
Mr Buah did not explain why the more than 3,000 excavators remained unclaimed at Tema Port or what action would be taken if their owners failed to collect them.
He said the update formed part of the government's progress report on measures to combat illegal mining.
Mr Buah added that 452 additional Blue Water Guards had recently been deployed, bringing the total number to 2,069 personnel, while the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat continued enforcement operations across the country.
