Ghana’s National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has declared a tougher stance against illegal miners and their financiers, warning that they will be “smoked out” in an intelligence-led clampdown on galamsey.
Colonel Dominic Buah, Director of Operations at NAIMOS, described illegal miners and their backers as “prime enemies of the state” who would face decisive action.
“They are the prime enemies of the state, and they will be dealt with as such. NAIMOS will smoke them out very soon; there is no resting place for them,” Col Buah said during President John Dramani Mahama’s stakeholder dialogue with civil society in Accra on Friday.
He assured that the latest measures would restore degraded lands and polluted rivers. “They should get ready and be assured that very soon our waters will turn blue and our forests will turn green. We have already trained over 400 troops deployed to sensitive areas, with more to follow. Illegal mining will soon be a thing of the past,” he added.
Col Buah explained that NAIMOS has been set up as a presidential coordinating centre bringing together the military, police, intelligence services, immigration and local authorities to wage an “integrated and intelligence-driven fight” against illegal mining.
Drones, surveillance units and nearly 1,000 river-line informants are already tracking activities in real time, with a 24-hour citizen hotline expected soon. Four taskforces drawn from the security agencies have also been mobilised for round-the-clock raids across 21 mining hotspots.
Since the renewed operations began, more than 1,000 suspects have been arrested, with excavators, vehicles, weapons and other equipment seized. Abandoned machinery found in rivers is being destroyed on site to prevent contamination, while serviceable machines are being redirected for agricultural use. Col Buah stressed that financiers will not be spared. “We are working with the Attorney-General to unmask the financiers and organisers,” he said.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, criticised previous efforts, noting that between 2023 and 2024 only 35 of 845 arrests — just four per cent — resulted in convictions. He said weak enforcement and sluggish investigations had allowed galamsey to persist.
While vowing zero tolerance for illegal mining, the minister acknowledged the importance of small-scale mining to the economy, employing more than three million Ghanaians and contributing 52 per cent of national gold output, overtaking large-scale operators. “Small-scale mining has evolved from chisels and hammers to heavy machinery. It is the lifeline for millions, especially in rural communities,” he said.
Civil society groups welcomed the renewed offensive but stressed the need for sustained political will, transparency and livelihood alternatives to ensure long-term results.
