The Media Relations Officer for the Lands Ministry, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, has indicated the government’s plan to establish a specialized court for issues related to illegal mining, commonly referred to as “galamsey.”
In an interview on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, Mr Schandorf noted that these tribunals will focus on illegal mining offenses that are reported outside of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Strategy (NAIMOS).
“Government intends to set up specialized tribunals to deal with illegal mining offences, because when some of the cases are reported outside of NAIMOS it goes to generally the Attorney General (AG), they have the prosecutorial powers,” he revealed.
He emphasized the need for this initiative, stating that the numerous issues, both criminal and otherwise, result in delays, preventing quick resolutions.
“so now we are creating a different dispensation of Justice delivering and administration where illegal mining offences are going to be created and treated differently,”
The goal, he mentioned, is to develop a mechanism that accelerates prosecution efforts to achieve swift outcomes.
“We just want to create a system that will expedite actions on the prosecution and then we will deliver the results that Ghanaians are looking for,” Schandorf added.
He also disclosed that the Attorney General has finalized the bill necessary to implement this framework, and by the first quarter of next year, some cases will be actively prosecuted.
Source; Christabel Opare
