Abandoned illegal mining (galamsey) pits in the Central Region have claimed more than twenty-two (22) lives between January and August this year.

During a media briefing after a Regional Security Council meeting, the Central Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Kwesi Dawood, indicated that the deceased persons lost their lives after drowning in these pits.

The Central Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation described the situation as alarming and called for a collective effort to end illegal mining in the country.

Meanwhile, a task force has been launched in response to galamsey activities in the region. Their areas of operation include: Assin North, Assin Central, Upper Denkyira East and West, Twifo Ati-Morkwa, Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira, and the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipality, which comprises security agencies, NADMO, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Minerals Commission, miners, and the media.

In the coming days, the degraded galamsey sites are expected to be converted into productive agricultural land and tree plantations.

The project, which is spearheaded by the Regional Minister, Mr. Ekow Payin Okyere Eduamoah, aims to generate revenue to support Ghana’s economy.

“This initiative includes implementing our ‘Tree for Life’ reforestation policy, aimed at cultivating cash crops such as cocoa, palm and rubber on rehabilitated sites,” he explained.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance, under the GRA Customs Division and the Ports and Harbours Authority, the Lands Ministry has initiated proactive tracking of all excavator imports and other heavy equipment from the point of entry.

The Lands Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, revealed that the government is developing a centralized digital platform named the Ghana Mine Repository Tracking Software, which has already been deployed at the Minerals Commission and is at an advanced stage to support this initiative.

“The platform will serve as the single point of integration for all agencies, including Customs, DVLA, Ministry of Transport, Minerals Commission, and National Security,” the minister said.

The platform will also provide authorized institutions with real-time permit history, equipment location, and operational compliance. A pilot project involving over 191 excavators is currently being tracked in a dedicated control room at the Minerals Commission.

“I believe we are going to that point where every excavator in this country is actually regulated,” he said.

The government is undertaking these initiatives in accordance with L.I. 2404, which prescribes the mandatory registration of all earth-moving and mining equipment used in mining operations.

As part of efforts to clamp down on illegal mining activities, the government has also rolled out an official order requiring all machinery used in mining operations to be registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) by August 1.

A statement issued by the Ministry of the Interior on Tuesday, July 15, indicated that the state will confiscate unregistered mining equipment after the deadline.

"The Government, as part of efforts to reform the mining sector in the country, requires that all machinery used in mining activities must be registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) by 1st August 2025. Equipment that remains unregistered after this deadline will be confiscated by the State," the Ministry stated on its website.

The Ghana Police Service and the DVLA have been empowered to strictly enforce the new rule from August 2.

"The Ghana Police Service and DVLA have been directed to enforce this directive from 2nd August 2025 onward rigorously. The general public, especially those who use mining machinery, is advised to take note and comply with the directive," it added.

The Ministry reiterated its resolve to maintain national peace through effective internal security and law enforcement.

Meanwhile, a similar directive had been issued months earlier, requiring excavator owners and operators to register their machines with the DVLA within two weeks or risk losing them to the state.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the DVLA, Julius Neequaye Kotey, issued the directive in Accra, warning that effective June 1, any excavator not registered with the DVLA would be confiscated.Speaking at a press briefing, Mr. Kotey announced that the Ghana Police Service and the DVLA’s operational team commenced a nationwide enforcement after the deadline, arresting and impounding excavators being used at mining sites or for commercial purposes without proper documentation.“This exercise will help identify every excavator that enters the country and trace how it is being used. The goal is to ensure we can monitor and hold people accountable,” Mr. Kotey said.The directive was in line with Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), which mandates the registration of all motor vehicles and trailers, including farm and heavy-duty equipment.Despite the law, the DVLA found many unregistered excavators operating in mining areas, some of which were used in illegal activities.Mr. Kotey emphasized that the DVLA, with its 34 offices nationwide, could register all excavators and farm machinery within two weeks and was ready to strictly enforce the directive.“Excavators in the hands of illegal miners have worsened the destruction of our environment. This is why we must act,” Mr. Kotey said.To further control the situation, the DVLA, in collaboration with key agencies such as the Minerals Commission, National Security, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), commenced tagging all newly imported excavators.In addition to tagging new imports, the Minerals Commission was tasked to lead a team to tag all excavators already in the country. Legal small-scale mining sites have also been geo-fenced, with their site coordinates integrated into the Ghana Mine Repository and Tracking Software for improved oversight.Three months ago, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah announced the rollout of a system to monitor excavator imports and usage, involving port tagging and digital tracking in partnership with several state agencies.According to the sector minister, excavators are the third most valuable item imported into the country, worth GHC 6.2 billion.Crackdown on illegal mining activitiesIn April, a total of 47 individuals were arrested for engaging in illegal mining activities along the Tano River and within the Aboi, Subri, and Nimiri forests in the Western Region.This followed a special four-day intelligence-led operation that commenced on April 17 within the Samreboi enclave.According to the Ghana Police Service, the suspects included 39 Ghanaians and 8 Chinese nationals.The Police indicated that a significant amount of equipment and materials believed to have been used for the mining operations were retrieved. These included seventeen excavators, one bulldozer, four motorbikes, two Toyota Hilux vehicles, one Rav4 vehicle, four pump-action guns, one single-barrel gun, fifty-four live BB cartridges, and eight pumping machines.Prosecution began for the arrested suspects. Forty-one of them were arraigned, with 29 remanded into police custody to reappear before the court on April 30. Twelve others were also remanded to return to court on May 2. The remaining seven were put before the court on April 23.Two coordinated operations conducted on Friday, June 20, at Nikanika and Adeade in the Central Region led to the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of several pieces of mining equipment.The operations were executed by the Ghana Police Service through its Special Anti-Galamsey Task Force.At Nikanika, the task force found no operators but retrieved a single-barrel shotgun loaded with a cartridge and three water-pumping machines.The team later extended its operation to Adeade, where three suspects—Prosper Quansah, Chrispin Nartey, and Owusu Gambra—were arrested with an excavator on a lowbed trailer.One SANY excavator, four unregistered Haojin motorbikes, and one lowbed vehicle with registration number GN 2136-24 were seized from the scene. All exhibits were secured in police custody.Some twelve accused persons standing trial for engaging in illegal mining activities at Tumetu, near Princess Town in the Ahanta West Municipality of the Western Region, have been remanded into prison custody.While ten of the accused persons were arrested at a palm plantation, two others were arrested at the Elluabo Chavene Ghana Rubber Estate Limited (GREL) plantation.This followed a coordinated police intelligence-led operation within the Ahanta West Municipality. The accused persons are Lord Yankey, Caleb Adu Kwaw, Stephen Agyei, Ebenezer Barnes, Mathew Somagevi, Paa Grant, Bashiru Kaviru, Joseph Borney, Aminu Issah, Kofi Sogah, Albert Normah, and Robert Mensah.Four water-pumping machines, one tricycle with registration number M-20-WR 1045, and two motorbikes were retrieved from the sites, according to the police. All twelve accused persons admitted to the offense during police interrogations.They were subsequently put before the Takoradi Harbour Area Circuit Court ‘A’ and were remanded into prison custody at Sekondi. They reappeared before the court on Tuesday, July 8.Additionally, fifteen individuals are in police custody for engaging in illegal mining activities at Manso Adubia. They were arrested following a special intelligence-led operation at Watreso and Preacher Krom. The suspects include Tahiru Ibrahim (24), Shaibu Idrissu (23), Boateng Emmanuel (27), Jamon Kwaku Samuel (21), Yaro Patrick (29), Kofi Boakye (21), Gubong Mathew (45), Fatawu Zackari Seidu (26), Abdul Malik Seidu (22), Dauda Tahiru (23), Sampson Grace (21), Boolangkpuo Freda (24), Arima Hagar (26), Kwarteng Vasco (30), and Kwame Adutwum (24).Two excavator control boards, two automatic pump-action guns, two Musler 12 firearms, 59 BB cartridges, three AA cartridges, one water-pumping machine, two power generators, one vulcanizing machine, and one Apsonic motorbike were seized from the site.