Galamsey: Over 200 suspects arrested in six months - Lands Minister

The government has intensified its crackdown on illegal mining activities widely known as galamsey with 258 suspects arrested over the past six months.

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, disclosed this when he took his turn at the Government Accountability Series on July 15, 2026.

“In the last six months, we arrested 258 suspects, demobilized six 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,” Armah-Kofi Buah noted.

According to him, the crack down on galamsey has helped to improve security within forest reserves.

Armah-Kofi Buah further indicated that the government’s collaboration with the Forestry Commission had ensured that enforcement officers were better positioned to protect Ghana’s natural resources.

Galamsey in Ghana: How it began, what it has become, and why education must lead the way

“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 said.

The Lands Minister maintained that while the battle against illegal mining remains challenging, the government will continue to strengthen enforcement measures and safeguard Ghana’s environmental resources.

JKB/VPO

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