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Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah

The Department of Lands and Natural Resources has presented a five-point plan to address unlawful mining activities, referred to as galamsey, within the nation.

The approach highlights the importance of involving stakeholders, implementing regulatory changes, strengthening law enforcement, restoring affected areas, and providing alternative income sources as the basis for eradicating unauthorized mining activities and encouraging sustainable small-scale mining throughout the nation.

The sector minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP), who also serves as the acting Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, stated that this action is part of initiatives aimed at protecting Ghana’s environment, water sources, and mineral deposits.

He revealed this during a stakeholder dialogue with civil society in Accra, led by President John Dramani Mahama, regarding galamsey.

Mr. Buah mentioned that the first pillar, which focuses on stakeholder engagement and cooperation, aims to unite all parties, including traditional leaders, local officials, scholars, non-governmental organizations, and community members, to create agreement against illegal mining by means of awareness initiatives that foster local involvement in the effort and support sustainable mining methods.

He pointed out that the Ministry is also enhancing the licensing systems and oversight processes to ensure that only legally registered miners function within the legal framework.

“The Ministry is also promoting a decentralization initiative to ensure that District Mining Committees play a key role in the process of granting mining licenses — they are required to provide suggestions to the Minerals Commission prior to any license being issued,” he added.

Mr. Buah mentioned that the law enforcement component requires strong cooperation with police agencies to target unauthorized operators while ensuring the protection of those who operate within the legal framework.

“The creation of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) – serving as the operational hub for coordinating all anti-illegal mining law enforcement activities – has been crucial to the government’s achievements to date. Digital technologies are being utilized to monitor excavator imports, along with geotagging and geofencing their usage within designated areas,” he stated.

The fourth component focuses on the recovery of damaged lands and the revitalization of contaminated rivers.

Within this pillar, the sector minister mentioned that two major projects have been initiated – the Tree for Life Reforestation Program and the Blue Water Initiative, respectively.

He further mentioned that extra focus is being placed on communities heavily impacted by galamsey, with restoration initiatives already in progress across multiple areas.

Areas designated as Forest Reserves and Water Bodies have also been established as Security Zones, which will be patrolled by the NAIMOS task force.

Under the Blue Water Initiative, the initial phase involves the placement of Blue Water Guards, who act as community pioneers in riverine regions, promoting awareness, deterring illegal miners from water bodies, and functioning as primary responders for NAIMOS along major waterways.

“Through their efforts, approximately 900 water pumps seized from illegal miners have been distributed to farmers via the Ministry of Agriculture for improved utilization,” he added.

Mr. Buah once again highlighted the offering of alternative income sources, intended to create long-term economic opportunities for communities relying on illegal mining, as one of the approaches being implemented to combat unauthorized mining activities.

The approach focuses on providing education and assistance in farming, food processing, and various other trades to decrease dependence on unlawful mining activities. The Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) is the initiative responsible for implementing this effort.

“It is fundamentally intended to bring about sustainable community transformation through three key goals: promoting and supporting environmentally conscious cooperative mining, providing vocational, technical, agricultural, digital, and business training to young people and women to help them gain skills for alternative and self-employment opportunities, and restoring lands damaged by illegal mining for use in agriculture, forestry, and other income-producing activities,” he stated.

As stated by the Minister, this comprehensive strategy aims to not only reduce unauthorized mining activities but also enable small-scale mining to significantly support the nation’s economy while preserving the environment.

President John Dramani Mahama promised complete openness in the battle against unauthorized mining operations.

“I am committed. We require your support. We need your feedback, your promotion, and your influence. Keep pushing us to do better, and let’s win this battle as one. Our great-grandfathers provided us with a wonderful nation featuring trees and lovely rivers, and we must not pass on polluted water sources or damaged forests to our children and future generations. I want to personally guarantee you that as President, I will also keep applying pressure on the Minister and other relevant officials to fulfill our commitment,” the President stated during the meeting.

A Daily Guide Report

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