Ghana could spend about $21 billion to reclaim and restore lands destroyed by illegal mining and other environmentally harmful activities, former Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has disclosed.

According to him, approximately 10 per cent of the country’s total surface area, representing about 23,853 square kilometres, has already been degraded.

He said the scale of the destruction had created a huge financial burden for the country, particularly as efforts to restore degraded lands and polluted water bodies would require significant investment.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng disclosed on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, when he delivered the keynote address at the Fourth Annual Colloquium organised by the Department of Political Science Education at the University of Education, Winneba.

The colloquium was held on the theme, “Politics, the Environment, and Our Future: Ghana at Crossroads?”

“About a tenth of the surface area of Ghana is degraded, some 23,853 square kilometres. Reclaiming and restoring what has already been destroyed would cost in the order of $21 billion,” he stated.

He further disclosed that the restoration of the Ankobra River alone could cost approximately $400 million, excluding the cost of rehabilitating other water bodies that have been affected by mining activities.

Among the rivers he identified were the Pra, Offin, Birim, Anum, Oda, as well as the Black, White and Red Volta rivers.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, who served as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining between 2017 and 2021, described illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, as “the largest environmental crime in our history”.

He warned that continued destruction of forests and water bodies through illegal mining was exposing communities to hazardous substances, including mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium and chromium.

According to him, prolonged exposure to these toxic substances could result in serious health conditions, including neurological damage, cancer, kidney failure and pregnancy complications.

The former minister said the impact of galamsey had become increasingly severe, with farmlands, forest reserves and major water bodies suffering extensive degradation, particularly in mining communities across the Ashanti, Eastern, Western and Western North regions.

Over the years, successive governments have introduced various measures to tackle illegal mining, including military operations, task forces, mining restrictions and alternative livelihood programmes.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, however, said these interventions had failed to produce lasting results because governments often abandoned enforcement measures and institutional safeguards after introducing them.

He therefore proposed the creation of an independently governed Environmental Restoration Fund to provide sustainable financing for the restoration of degraded lands and polluted rivers.

He said the fund should be financed through a clearly defined portion of mineral royalties to ensure that resources are consistently available for environmental restoration and rehabilitation efforts.

Fatalities linked to galamsey

Ghana, in recent times, has recorded several deaths following the collapse of pits at illegal mining sites.

On Saturday, August 29, 2026, seven individuals were confirmed dead after a mining pit collapse at Asaman Tamfoe in the Atewa East District.

In April, a 42-year-old mother and her three children were confirmed dead after drowning in a water-filled galamsey pit at Wassa Dunkwa in the Amenfi West Municipality of the Western Region on Saturday, February 28.

The family of four had gone near the abandoned illegal mining site in search of firewood. The eldest child, aged 14, reportedly led his younger siblings into the water-filled pit.

The boys became trapped and were unable to escape. In an attempt to rescue her children, the 42-year-old mother also entered the pit but tragically drowned.

The bodies of the four family members have been deposited at the Catholic Hospital morgue. Abandoned illegal mining pits have claimed the lives of Ghanaians in recent times.

A galamsey pit collapse at Atta Ne Atta in Asutifi South has claimed the lives of nine individuals, with four others currently receiving treatment at St. Elizabeth Catholic Hospital in Hwidiem following the incident, which occurred on Monday, March 2.

Recently, a 20-year-old student, Evans Allotey, of Okomfo Anokye Senior High School (SHS), died after falling into an abandoned mining pit on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at Manso Akwesiso, Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region.

The unfortunate incident reportedly occurred while he was attempting to flee military personnel who had visited the site to crack down on illegal mining activities. In reaction to the unfortunate incident, residents staged a protest to express their dissatisfaction.

In 2025, a pit collapse at an illegal mining site at Kasotie in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region claimed the lives of seven illegal miners who were trapped underground.