By Eugene Davis
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has told Ghana’s lawmakers that plans are in place to deploy the military as backup support to the Forestry Commission in hotspot areas in a bid to protect forest reserves.
Eight of the nine most dangerous forest reserves previously under the control of heavily armed illegal miners have been successfully reclaimed by Ghana’s security forces.
Ghana has a total of 288 forest reserves, of which 44 have been invaded by illegal small-scale miners. The nine red zones were identified as the most dangerous due to the presence of heavily armed groups, prompting the government to prioritise their reclamation.
Appearing before Parliament to answer questions in his sector, the Lands Minister said “Due to effective collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, we are developing a system where the forestry commission will have the military provide backup support especially in hotspot areas or situation where the rapid response team of the forestry commission are unable to enforce these laws.”
He also explained that the Ministry is also working closely with the Forestry commission and other agencies to source support to procure key logistics to improve mobility of officers to enhance surveillance and monitoring for early detection of forest offences.
Further, he disclosed that he has engaged the Attorney General to explore possibility of setting up specialized court to deal swiftly with the issue of illegal mining.
As part of efforts to garner support for this fight, the ministry in collobaration with key stakeholders had intensified sensitization of various communities, on the effects of illegal mining on the environment, human health, carry out responsible mining.
The government is set to revoke Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 — the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2022 — in a significant shift towards stronger environmental safeguards. This move will effectively ban all mining activities within forest reserves.
Attention will now turn to reclaiming the 35 forest reserves already impacted by mining operations.
The decision underscores the government’s renewed commitment to tackling illegal mining (galamsey) and its broader environmental consequences. President Akufo-Addo has emphasized the urgency of the situation, warning: “Our rivers take their source from our forests. If we destroy the forests, our rivers will dry up. That’s why this fight is critical.”
This action forms part of a wider national strategy to restore degraded forestlands, combat environmental degradation, and protect vital water sources.
