Sixty excavators used by illegal miners have been confiscated by the Anti-Galamsey Taskforce as part of the operations to rid the country of illegal miners.
The confiscation followed multiple operations conducted by the taskforce in some of the highly endemic illegal mining communities across the country.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Armah Kofi-Buah, who disclosed this at a news briefing in Accra yesterday, said the confiscated machines would be deployed to rural communities for the reshaping and upgrading of their roads.
The joint press briefing by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Environment, and Technology was to update the public the measures the government have taken to curb illegal mining and sanitise the sector.
The Minister said as part of the anti-galamsey exercise seven of the nine forest which were occupied by illegal miners had been taken back and efforts were underway to reclaim the remaining two.
Mr Kofi-Buah disclosed that all the small-scale mining licences issued after December 7, 2024, by the previous government had been revoked.
The Minister could not immediately mentioned the number of licences revoked and said the processes which were used in issuing those licences were rushed and did not follow due process.
The Minister said the revocation followed the recommendation of a Working Committee to review the current licensing regime and proposed recommendations and a comprehensive strategy to tackle the issue of illegal mining licence.
Mr Kofi-Buah said the existing Community Mining Schemes had been disbanded and replaced with Small-Scale Mining Cooperatives (SSMCs).
“The Cooperatives will be formed after due diligence with the communities involved so they properly represent the communities,” he said, adding that through the Ghana Gold Board, the gold produced by the SSMCs would be bought by the government at the prevailing market price.
He said the current small-scale mining regime was fraught with so many problems; hence the Ministry was establishing a Technical Small-Scale Mining Review Committee to review all existing small-scale licences.
He said the terms of reference of the Technical Committee, which has two months to present its findings, were to review all small-scale mining licences.
The Minister said the Committee was to audit all licences to ensure they were properly acquired, that due process was followed, and that they met all conditions of continuous validity with respect to environment, water bodies, forest reserves, and land preservation standards.
The Committee to be chaired by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Yusif Sulemana, and to be deputised by a Director from the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology, would have representation from the Minerals Commission, EPA, Water Resources Commission, Forestry Commission, and the Attorney General’s office.
“All licensees are expected to co-operate and subject their documentation to this exercise within this period,” Mr Armah-Buah stated, adding that “All who fail to go through this process will have their licences revoked.”
The Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology, Dr Murtala Mohammad, described illegal mining as “environmental terrorism.”
He stressed that illegal mining was destroying the country’s lands and water bodies, adding that the government would not spare any individual or group involved in illegal mining, regardless of political affiliation.
Dr Mohammed added that the government intended to deploy technology to monitor small-scale mining activities and prevent illegal mining in forest reserves.
The Minister urged all stakeholders to support the government’s efforts to combat illegal mining and restore environmental integrity.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
