President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that his government has successfully removed illegal miners from eight out of nine forest reserves previously designated as no-go zones.
He said the activities of these illegal miners had caused severe environmental degradation.
Speaking at the Global Mining Summit, on Monday, June 2, 2025, President Mahama said the success of the government in clearing the illegal miners from the reserves was positive news.
He noted that this was a major milestone in the country’s renewed efforts to reclaim degraded lands and promote responsible mining.
President Mahama further assured that his administration has deployed river guards to combat illegal mining along water bodies and riverbanks.
“Let me be clear at this juncture: artisanal miners are not enemies of the state. If properly trained and supported, they can be allies in our development,” the president said, adding, “Working together with the small-scale mining sector, we will reclaim our forest reserves and restore the purity of our water bodies.”
“We will track excavators to know whether they are being used for illegal mining. Ghana currently has more excavators than the rest of Africa combined. The new permitting regime will not allow you to import any excavator unless you have a valid permit to do so, Mahamaa said.
He added that the government is collaborating with small-scale miners to support land reclamation.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
