The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has said the government is determined to achieve the multiple goals of reclaiming lost forest reserves, restoring the colour and quality of water bodies damaged by illegal mining activities, locally known as galamsey and protecting biodiversity across the country.

He has consequently warned persons in the illegal mining enterprise in the country that the war against the menace will be relentless, retributive, fair and firm.

Mr Armah-Kofi Buah emphasised that until those goals were achieved and an effective, sustainable plan was implemented for the long term, the government would not take its foot off the pedal.

He said he had received the all-clear from President John Dramani Mahama to chase out the illegal miners from the sites.

Speaking to the press after a fact-finding mission after a successful operation, in collaboration with the ministries of Defence and the Interior to rescue the Shelter Belt Forest Reserve last Saturday, the Minister of Lands admonished illegal miners across the country to put down their tools and vacate the forests and rivers before they were apprehended. 

During the operation, 15 excavators were seized, and the Minister of Lands revealed the plans by the government to channel them into road construction.

Mr Armah-Kofi Buah further announced that 30 hectares of the Shelter Belt Forest Reserve alone had already been consumed by illegal mining activities.

In total, he said, the country had lost about 5,000 hectares, an equivalent of about 7,500 football fields, to illegal mining operations in forest reserves.

While bemoaning the situation, the minister declared that the situation could not be allowed to continue as it posed an existential threat to the public.

“With the unwavering support of my colleagues, the Minister of Defence, Dr Omane Boamah; Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, we deployed the military to the forests to clamp down on these illegal operations,” the minister stated. 

Mr Armah-Kofi Buah said the government would not decommission or burn excavators seized at galamsey sites, but would instead use them for road construction across the country in a more purposeful and innovative approach.

“This, however, is not the end. Investigations are ongoing, and we are working closely with the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

This is not an exercise in futility. We are resolute in our mission. We will not rest until those responsible for this environmental carnage are held accountable, including their accomplices,” he said.

He further stated that the government’s drive to eradicate illegal mining had just kicked off and that despite being in its early stages, successes were being chalked up with the operation on the Offin Shelter Belt forest, in addition to the operation on the Ankobra River, where seven Chinese and eight locals were apprehended.

He also restated the need for Ghanaians to collaborate with the government in the fight, stressing the importance of a holistic force in confronting and eradicating the menace.

“As I have stated before, and I reiterate today, we will not relent in this fight. This is a battle for all of us — every Ghanaian who values our environment, our health and our future. I urge all well-meaning Ghanaians to join us in this critical fight. Together, we can win this war,” he said.

The minister also condemned the recent attack on Citi FM journalists, stressing that such actions should not be condoned.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Amoakohene, commended the minister  for deciding to storm the field and have firsthand information and experience on the issue.

He insisted that the government was bent on winning the galamsey war and that no stone would be left unturned in the bid to protect the country’s rivers, forest reserves and the environment in general.