The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has revealed that 258 suspects have been arrested over the past six months as the government intensifies efforts to combat illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, in Ghana’s forest reserves.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, July 15, the minister said the arrests were part of a sustained enforcement campaign led by the Ministry in collaboration with the Forestry Commission and other stakeholders to protect the country’s forests from illegal mining activities.
He said the operations have also led to the seizure and destruction of several pieces of equipment used in illegal mining.
“Ladies and gentlemen, in our determination to protect our forests from illegal mining activities, the Ministry, working closely with the Forestry Commission and other stakeholders, intensified enforcement operations within forest reserves and these are the results.
“Just in the last six months, we arrested 258 suspects, demobilized 6 excavators, 1,225 pumping machines were seized, we demobilized 765 Changfan machines, we destroyed 35 tricycles, motorbikes that were seized were 212, structures destroyed 430, and gold detectors that were seized was 40. All these in the forest reserves alone,” he stated.
He added that intensified enforcement efforts have significantly improved security in the country’s forest reserves, eliminating areas previously considered hotspots for illegal mining
“And I’m happy to say that today I’m not here to tell you about red zones, because we have not had any red zone, which means that government supporting the Forestry Commission is firmly in control of our forests,” he stated.
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