President John Dramani Mahama has pledged sustained action against illegal mining, vowing that his government will continue to strengthen legal reforms, tighten enforcement, and adopt technology-driven solutions to protect Ghana’s forests and water bodies.
Speaking at the first Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) dialogue on illegal mining, the president described the fight against “galamsey” as a process, not an event, stressing that government will act transparently and continue to engage CSOs, stakeholders, and citizens.
He pointed to lessons learned from earlier efforts, including the need for permanent security deployments under the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and expanded budget allocations to maintain troops and logistics in affected areas.
“We need a substantially bigger budget than we have currently to be able to win this war,” he said, adding that more personnel would be reassigned from peacekeeping operations to reinforce the anti-galamsey taskforce.
A key policy shift has been the enforcement of laws on excavator imports. Mahama said all excavators must now be licensed before entering the country, with shipping firms held liable for violations. Existing excavators are being registered and fitted with trackers under a geofencing system to ensure accountability and prevent illegal use in forest reserves.
The president also revealed that the government is piloting reclamation projects with international partners, using vegetation and soil-restoration technologies to recover degraded lands. He noted that alternative livelihoods are being supported through initiatives such as the recruitment of 1,000 “Blue Water Guards” to protect rivers while earning incomes.
Mahama highlighted efforts to align small-scale mining with best practices from countries like Chile, where 90% of the sector has been formalized. Cooperative mining models with large-scale firms such as AngloGold and Newmont, he said, will help transition miners into regulated operations. Geological mapping using AI-driven satellite technology is also being pursued through the Gold Board to reduce destructive prospecting.
The president further disclosed ongoing pilots for new technologies to process gold without mercury or cyanide, including vortex concentrators, activated carbon filters, and reverse osmosis systems for detoxifying water.
While rejecting calls to immediately declare a state of emergency, Mahama said he would not hesitate to act if advised by the National Security Council. “As we deploy more troops and we apply more resources to the fight, I’m sure that gradually we’ll begin to see that we’re winning the fight,” he said.
He urged CSOs to sustain their advocacy, pressure, and monitoring, emphasizing that the government has “nothing to hide” in the anti-galamsey effort. “They gave us a beautiful country with a lot of forests and trees and beautiful rivers. We should not hand over poisoned rivers and desecrated forests to our children and our grandchildren,” he said.
