Minister for lands and natural resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has outlined the government’s immediate plans to combat illegal mining in the country.
He made this statement in response to a query from the Member of Parliament (MP) for Suaman Dadieso Constituency, Frederick Addy, on Friday, June 20, 2025, regarding the Ministry’s efforts to combat illegal mining in the constituency, following a tragic incident on March 14, where two lives were lost in a ‘galamsey’ pit at Kalo.
According to Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah, the Ministry has collaborated with the district assemblies to fish out the “faceless” individuals involved in the illegal mining to make sure they are held accountable, punished and require to rehabilitate the areas they have destroyed in order to serve as a lesson to others.
“Those faceless people who engage in illegal mining are unknown and so we will continue to work with the district authorities to apprehend them and make sure they are punished and also make sure we will get them to recover these areas and will continue to do so,” he asserted.
He also mentioned that, his Ministry is actively undertaking efforts to restore degraded lands and replant vegetation in areas impacted by the galamsey activities.
“Immediate measures are being put in place to curb those menace, the government is engaging is reclamation and revegetation program of the illegally mined out areas in the constituency and other affected areas to avaoid such occurrences,” he noted.
He further stated that, public awareness initiatives will be implemented by the ministry, through district assemblies and traditional councils, to inform and involve local communities.
He added that, the Ministry is targeting areas with high mineral potential, identified through geological surveys, to ensure miners work in a safe and profitable environment reducing the risks associated with unregulated digging.
“We are also focusing on geological investigated areas with very good prospects and to ensure that the miners will get mined out areas that are very lucrative for them to mine so that we can prevent this random digging risk we face,” he assured.
The Minister also committed to tightening mining licenses and regulations to prevent illegal activities.
