Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has taken a swipe at the previous Nana Akufo-Addo administration, accusing it of failing to effectively tackle illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Accra on Thursday, Hon. Buah revealed startling lapses in enforcement, including the fact that no imported excavators were processed through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) over the last eight years to enable proper tracking.
“This failure to use DVLA systems made it extremely difficult to trace the individuals and companies behind the importation of heavy excavators used in galamsey,” he stated.
The Minister further disclosed that between 2023 and 2024, only 4 percent of galamsey-related arrests led to successful prosecutions. Out of 845 arrests made during the period, only 35 cases were effectively prosecuted — 24 in 2023 and 11 in 2024. This was despite a sharp increase in arrests, which rose from 218 individuals in 2023 to 627 in 2024.
Hon. Buah lamented what he described as weak law enforcement and the slow pace of investigations and prosecutions, noting that the lack of political will under the previous government severely undermined anti-galamsey efforts.
“And yet, law enforcement was weak,” he emphasized, criticizing the limited commitment among key stakeholders.
He argued that this ineffective approach crippled the state’s ability to dismantle the galamsey network and protect the country’s natural resources.
The Minister assured stakeholders that the current administration is prioritizing stronger enforcement mechanisms, improved tracking of heavy machinery, and a more aggressive prosecution strategy to reverse the damage caused by illegal mining.
