The Government has intensified its nationwide fight against illegal mining (galamsey), leading to the arrest of 465 suspected illegal miners and the destruction of thousands of illegal mining equipment in the first half of 2026.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, disclosed this at the Government Accountability Series held at the Presidency, describing the campaign as one of the country’s biggest environmental enforcement operations.
According to the Minister, the Forestry Commission and the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) have significantly increased operations across forest reserves and mining hotspots, resulting in the arrest of 258 suspects within forest reserves and 207 additional suspects during nationwide anti-galamsey operations.
The crackdown also led to the destruction of 2,800 chanfang machines, 1,225 water pumps, 1,244 illegal mining structures, while 78 excavators were seized and another 90 excavators immobilised at illegal mining sites. Authorities also confiscated 31 vehicles, 72 motorbikes, 18 generators, gold detectors and heavy-duty mining equipment.
In a major security breakthrough, security personnel recovered 112 pump-action rifles, two sidearms, two locally manufactured rifles and 1,637 rounds of ammunition, all allegedly linked to illegal mining operations. The weapons have since been handed over to the Ministry of the Interior for destruction.
The Minister announced that Government has deployed 2,069 Blue Water Guards across eight regions to safeguard rivers and other water bodies from illegal mining activities. In addition, 4,347 earth-moving machines have been registered, while 1,864 tracking devices have been installed to improve monitoring of mining equipment nationwide.
Mr. Buah said Government is also pursuing long-term reforms by registering more than 9,000 miners and 700 mining cooperatives under the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP), aimed at promoting responsible and environmentally sustainable small-scale mining.
He further revealed that there have been no red-zone forest reserves since December 2025, describing it as evidence that intensified enforcement is producing results.
“The era of impunity is over,” the Minister declared, warning that Government will continue pursuing financiers, operators and criminal syndicates responsible for destroying Ghana’s forests and rivers.
He called on traditional leaders, religious organisations, communities and the media to support the national campaign to reclaim degraded lands and protect Ghana’s natural resources for future generations.
Story by Sheila Otuo – Baffour