Accra, Ghana – The government’s intensified efforts against illegal mining, commonly known as “galamsey,” continue to yield significant results, with hundreds of excavators and other machinery seized, and over a thousand arrests made nationwide.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Emanuel Armah Kofi Buah announced that a total of 425 excavators and other machinery have been confiscated in the ongoing operations. Concurrently, 1,345 arrests have been made across the country, with prosecutions steadily moving forward.
In a separate but related effort, the Forestry Commission has also seized a substantial amount of equipment from illegal miners. Their haul includes 177 excavators, 4 bulldozers, 12 vehicles, 43 motorcycles, 155 pumping machines, 184 changfangs, 15 detector machines, and 10 heavy-duty generators.
Further bolstering the fight against galamsey, the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources has partnered with the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance (GRA-Customs Division), and the Ports and Harbours Authority to proactively track all imports of excavators and earth-moving equipment.
This collaborative initiative aims to prevent such machinery from falling into the hands of illegal miners. As a result, 1,200 excavators have been impounded at Tema Port, awaiting validation before they can be cleared.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
