By Prince Ahenkorah
President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, has affected 48 of Ghana’s 288 forest reserves and destroyed approximately 12,000 acres of land.
Speaking at the Mining in Motion Conference in Accra on Monday, October 19, the President said the affected forest reserves had been recovered from illegal miners and were being prepared for reclamation.
According to him, nine of the 48 affected reserves were designated as red zones because heavily armed illegal miners had prevented forest guards from entering them.
“Of the 48, nine were declared red zones, which means the forest guards could not enter those reserves because the illegal miners were fully armed,” he said.
Mahama, however, announced that all nine red zones had been cleared of illegal miners, paving the way for restoration efforts.
He said the government had begun reclaiming degraded lands to restore the affected forest reserves and address the environmental damage caused by illegal mining.
The President also disclosed that 8,200 items had been confiscated during operations against galamsey, including 135 excavators and more than 200 firearms.
He commended personnel involved in the anti-galamsey operations, acknowledging their efforts in recovering the affected reserves and supporting the reclamation process.