File photo of an illegal mining site in Ghana
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has declared forest reserves and river bodies as security zones to help in the fight against illegal mining activities (galamsey).
By so doing, the minister reiterated the government’s commitment and dedication to curbing the menace, charging the team deployed to the areas to be ruthless against illegal miners.
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But one may wonder what declaring these areas as security zones actually means. This GhanaWeb article explains it and explores how it may help in the fight.
Security Zones
When a place or an area is declared a security zone, it means access is restricted for security purposes, to protect the area from threats or unauthorised entry.
This is after the designated place has been identified as having specific threats or risks that require increased protection.
Additionally, Security Analyst Richard Kumadoe, providing further explanation to the security zones during an appearance on Bullet TV on September 26, 2025, said that places are declared as security zones to either curtail or prevent the escalation of a menace.
“When we say a place is a security zone, there’s a reason why they declare it as a security zone. It might be to curtail or prevent further spread of a menace …,” he said.
How it helps
It is intended to manage risks, and in this case of illegal mining, to control the extent of damage caused by “galamsey” activities on water bodies, which have contaminated them and greatly impacted their turbidity.
This action, if successful, will lead to the once contaminated waters gradually regain their natural state with improved turbidity.
In the forest reserves, the security zones could help the soil reclaim lost nutrients depleted by illegal mining activities, and also allow for a gradual recovery of the ecosystem.
Who can access the areas?
Once a place is declared a security zone, in this case, water bodies and forest reserves; it means that no one is allowed to be there unless they have authorised access.
Richard Kumadoe also noted in his interview that persons found in these zones are either designated observers assigned by the state or individuals who have an official role to play in the area.
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In effect, personnel from the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), as well as, other authorised security agencies, can access the water bodies and forest reserves to protect them from trespassers.
“Now, once the place becomes a security zone, the predominant actions in the security zone are; one it’s a security activity, and the other one is security related operations. It is important to state that every occupant within the zone, is either a participant or you are a key observer.
“The reason is that non-conformity to the standard protocols that goes with security zone declaration may lead to some level of discomfort for you when you find yourself within that particular area and it may also lead to casualties and fatalities. So, if you take it straight to ‘galamsey’, the forest reserves and the water bodies, they don’t want the equipment that they have on the water surface to be there; they will take it out. They don’t want the washing of their gold materials into the water bodies; they will stop it,” Kumadoe noted.
What this means for illegal miners
With the government’s approach, illegal miners found in these designated security zone areas, particularly in mining hotspots, could face arrest or, worse, a more ruthless alternative.
According to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, while addressing NAIMOS during the declaration of the security zones, he charged the task force to be ruthless in their actions when illegal miners defy directives and access the areas.
“You are the sharpened tip of the spear. Any recalcitrant entrant into these declared security zones is not merely a trespasser; they are an enemy of the state and are to be treated as such. You are to be firm, resolute, and ruthless against them”.
MAG/VPO
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