We’ve arrested 1400 illegal miners in just 8 months compared to 800 Akufo-Addo arrested in three years — Lands Minister Armah-Kofi Buah
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, says the President John Mahama led administration was more committed to fighting illegal mining compared to the previous government led by Akufo-Addo.
According to him, the current government has intensified the fight against illegal mining [galamsey], with 1400 arrests made in less than eight months compared to about 800 arrests recorded in almost three years under the previous administration.
Speaking in a television interview monitored by Graphic Online on GTV on Wednesday [September 24, 2025], Mr Buah said part of the equipment confiscated from illegal mining operations have been reassigned for state use, including the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
“We have seized 440 excavators and more than 800 changfans, some of which have been repurposed for the Ministry of Agriculture,” he stated.
He added that the government would continue to step up action against illegal mining.
Mr Buah explained that the seizures formed part of a broader set of interventions coordinated through the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), which involves the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Local Government, the Attorney-General’s Department, and other agencies.
He said more than 400 security personnel were undergoing training in enforcement, licensing, and mining regulations to ensure that agencies carried out their duties within the law.
On policy reforms, Mr Buah said the government would move to repeal Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2501, which amended L.I. 2462. “The Attorney-General is ready, and as soon as Parliament reconvenes, we will take this step. This government is responding to all concerns raised,” he said.
He stressed that no new mining leases had been issued in forest reserves under the current administration.
“We are focused stopping the bleeding. No new mining leases have been issued in forest reserves under this administration. All existing leases were granted by the previous government,” he said.
He explained that the planned repeal of L.I. 2501 would strengthen reforms in the small-scale mining sector while supporting other interventions such as declaring water bodies and forest reserves as national security zones, enforcing mining regulations, and expanding reclamation programmes.
“We are stopping the bleeding. No new mining leases have been issued in forest reserves. All existing leases were granted by the previous government,” he said.
Mr Buah also pointed to the government’s environmental restoration efforts through the Tree for Life Initiative, which he said had doubled its target to 60 million seedlings with support from the private sector. “This year, we aimed to plant 30 million trees but are now planting 60 million,” he noted.
He further said the President had declared all water bodies and forest reserves as national security zones, with permanent military deployments planned. He maintained that while calls had been made for a state of emergency, the government’s strategy was showing results.
“We are under no illusion that this crisis, inherited after years of devastation, will be solved in eight months. But we are making progress and will strengthen our strategies as needed,” he said.
Mr Buah called on chiefs, community leaders, and the public to support the government’s efforts, warning that the destruction of rivers and forests was destroying “the soul of our country.”
