A total of 1,486 persons have so far been arrested by security agencies in anti-galamsey operations in 2025.
The operations, which were carried out in illegal mining hotspots between January 7 and November 30, led to the seizure of 443 excavators and 11 bulldozers.
The Director of Communications of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia, who made this known to the Daily Graphic yesterday said the operations also led to the seizure of 86 pump action guns, 31 motorbikes, 14 vehicles and 1,200 pumping machines.
She said 36 Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders, including some washing boards, were also seized.
“I must add that an amount of GH¢234,000 was received as attempted bribes to the security agencies,” Ms Mawuenyefia indicated, saying 2,000 direct jobs had been created within the last 11 months through various interventions such as blue water guards, mine repository, forest guards and the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) administrative office.
The government has since the beginning of this year instituted a number of measures to tackle the canker of illegal mining to help preserve the country’s land and water resources.
In March, this year, for instance, the government withdrew indefinitely small scale licences that were issued in the country after the December 7, 2024 elections as a measure to sanitise the small-scale mining sector.
This was followed by the setting up of a technical committee mandated to review all existing small-scale licences in the country.
There was also a process to register and track all excavators in the country, including those coming into the country.
Again, the government also set up the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) to promote responsible mining.
Ms Mawuenyefia said it was the roll out of the interventions that had led to the arrest of hundreds of illegal miners and confiscation of mining equipment.
Gains
She said although the country was not out of the woods in the fight against the galamsey menace, modest gains had been made since President Mahama took over.
“We know that our rivers that had been heavily polluted at the time this government took office have not cleared up yet.
We know that our forest reserves are not yet free from galamsey, but more work has been done to stem the tide,” she said.
Ms Mawuenyefia, therefore, assured Ghanaians that the government would continue to go after all persons behind the galamsey menace until the country’s water bodies and forest reserves regained their sanctity.
Source: graphic.com.gh