Galamsey fight under Mahama more than 80% successful — Schandorf

The Media Relations Officer at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, has rated the government’s fight against illegal mining at over 80 percent under President John Dramani Mahama.

He said the assessment is based on progress made in reclaiming forest reserves, tightening controls on mining equipment, and increasing arrests of suspected illegal miners.

The claim comes amid ongoing public concern that the galamsey fight has been slow and ineffective, with critics pointing to continued pollution of water bodies and weak prosecutions.

Speaking on Accra-based GHOne TV, Schandorf defended the government’s record, noting that the evaluation must be measured against the scale of destruction inherited.

“I think if we are going to assess the fight against illegal mining and particularly the progress of this administration, it should be done against the situation that we came to meet,” he said.

He explained that out of 288 forest reserves nationwide, about 44 had been affected by illegal mining between 2017 and 2024, with nine declared no-go areas even for security personnel.

According to him, the current administration has since reclaimed such areas and introduced systems to regulate excavator imports and deployment, which were previously unmonitored.

Schandorf also disclosed that more than 400 suspected illegal miners have been arrested in recent months, although prosecutions have been delayed due to challenges within the justice system.

“But the truth of the matter is that the justice delivery system is a bit cumbersome… the thinking of government now is to create a special purpose vehicle to deal specifically with illegal mining offences,” he said.

He added that Cabinet has approved the establishment of special tribunals to fast-track galamsey-related prosecutions, a move he believes will strengthen the fight going forward.