President John Dramani Mahama has announced a major breakthrough in Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, revealing that illegal miners have been successfully cleared from eight of the nine forest reserves previously ravaged by environmental degradation.

Speaking at the Global Mining Summit in Accra on Monday, the President described the achievement as a landmark moment in the country’s renewed push to restore degraded lands and promote responsible mining practices.

“This is a major milestone in our renewed commitment to reclaim our environment and safeguard our natural ecosystems,” President Mahama said.

The clearance operation is part of a comprehensive national strategy aimed at balancing ecological protection with sustainable resource extraction.

The President underscored that small-scale miners have a legitimate role to play in Ghana’s development when properly trained and regulated.

“Let me be clear: artisanal miners are not enemies of the state,” he stated.

“If properly trained and supported, they can become valuable allies in our development agenda.

Working together, we will reclaim our forest reserves and restore the purity of our water bodies.”

As part of enhanced regulatory enforcement, the government has deployed “river guards” tasked with protecting Ghana’s waterways from illegal mining activities.

The President also announced stringent new measures to regulate the use and importation of excavators—equipment frequently implicated in environmental destruction.

“We will track all excavators to ensure they are not being used for illegal mining,” he stressed.

“Ghana currently has more excavators than the rest of Africa combined.

Going forward, no one will be allowed to import an excavator without a valid permit under the new regulatory framework.”

President Mahama revealed that the government is partnering with small-scale mining Associations to lead land reclamation efforts, signalling a shift toward more collaborative and environmentally responsible policies in the mining sector.