President John Dramani Mahama has directed security and forestry enforcement teams tackling illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) to seize excavators rather than burn them, signaling a shift towards a more structured and sustainable approach to combating illegal mining.
The President made this announcement when the leadership of the Christian Council paid a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House on Friday, February 21.
With 43 out of Ghana's 280 forest reserves already affected by illegal mining, President Mahama acknowledged the environmental destruction caused by galamsey.
He stated that operations have begun to clear out illegal miners, citing the recent intervention in the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve, where enforcement teams removed excavators and other equipment.
