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President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms have been seized in the government’s ongoing efforts to combat illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The President said authorities had confiscated more than 8,200 items used in illegal mining activities, including changfan machines, excavators and other equipment.
Speaking at the Mining in Motion Conference on Monday, October 19, 2026, President Mahama highlighted progress made in the fight against illegal mining, particularly efforts to remove miners from forest reserves where security concerns had previously restricted access by forest guards.
“We have achieved some successes in the fight against illegal mining. We have confiscated more than 8,200 items. This includes changfan machines, excavators and other equipment used in illegal mining,” he said.
He added that 135 excavators used for illegal mining had been confiscated, alongside almost 200 firearms recovered from individuals involved in the activity.
President Mahama revealed that illegal miners had invaded 48 of Ghana’s 288 forest reserves, with some areas classified as red zones because of the dangers posed by armed miners.
He said the government had successfully cleared nine of these red zones and was preparing the affected forest reserves for reclamation.
“I’m happy to note that of those nine red zones, we have cleared all of them of illegal miners and are currently preparing those forest reserves for reclamation,” he stated.
The President estimated that galamsey had resulted in the destruction of about 12,000 acres of land nationwide, stressing that measures were being pursued to restore degraded areas.
He commended mining firm Newmont for its reclamation efforts on mined-out land, including the cultivation of useful crops on restored sites.
He also praised the Ghana Gold Board for awarding the Ghana Armed Forces a contract to reclaim 253 acres of land damaged by illegal mining in the Tano Nimri Forest.
“That work is ongoing,” he said.
As part of the broader restoration programme, President Mahama disclosed that GH¢200 million had been set aside to reclaim 5,000 acres of degraded land, with work scheduled to commence next year.
He expressed appreciation to the Ministers of Lands and Natural Resources and Finance for their support towards the initiative.
Meanwhile, the government is intensifying efforts to track excavators and prevent their use in illegal mining operations.
President Mahama said 6,060 excavators had been registered and detained at the ports, while 2,059 machines had been fitted with tracking devices.
He explained that the tracking system would help authorities monitor the locations where excavators are deployed, strengthening oversight and enforcement measures against illegal mining.
The government’s interventions are aimed at curbing galamsey, protecting Ghana’s forest reserves, recovering firearms from illegal mining operators and restoring land degraded by the activity.