Mahama: No licences issued for mining in forest reserves since I returned to office

President John Dramani Mahama has vowed to intensify the fight against illegal mining, stressing that his government has not issued a single licence to mine in Ghana’s forest reserves since returning to office.

At his first media engagement of his second term on September 10, 2025, the President said the Cabinet had initiated steps to repeal Legislative Instrument 2462, which permits mining in reserves, to give legal backing to the administration’s commitment.

“To be clear, not a single licence has been issued to any company to mine in our forest reserves. The repeal of LI 2462 is intended to crystallise in law what we have already demonstrated in practice,” Mr Mahama stated.

He revealed that nine forest reserves that were previously overrun by illegal miners had been repossessed and restored, while military personnel were being deployed permanently to protect them from re-invasion.

The President disclosed that 440 excavators, more than 1,400 water pumps, and 300 chamfang machines had been seized in recent months, while 980 security personnel had been recruited and deployed to protect water bodies and reserves.

By the end of the year, he said an additional 1,020 personnel would be added, bringing the total to 2,000. The next phase of the strategy would focus on restoring degraded water bodies and reclaiming lands.

He added that feasibility studies for water restoration projects were ongoing, alongside efforts to track all imported earth-moving equipment through a coordinated system involving the Transport Ministry, Customs, DVLA, and the Minerals Commission.

“So far, 1,015 excavators and mining equipment have been registered and fitted with tracking devices, with hundreds more undergoing the process,” he revealed.

President Mahama said the crackdown was part of a broader environmental protection strategy to ensure that Ghana’s natural resources were preserved for future generations.