Galamsey: 'We are taking up three devastated forest reserves to reclaim them in 2027' — GoldBod CEO

GoldBod Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) will next year support the reclamation of three forest reserves severely degraded by illegal mining as part of efforts to restore Ghana’s damaged forest ecosystems.

GoldBod Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, disclosed this during a Space conversation on X on Sunday, August 9, 2026, explaining that the initiative would build on reclamation efforts already being undertaken by the institution.

He identified the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve as one of the areas currently benefiting from reclamation efforts, while Apaprama is also expected to be included in the intervention.

“We are reclaiming it. And next year, we are taking up three devastated forest reserves because the President is so passionate about it; it is dear to his heart, and says GoldBod, you need to help in this fight,” he said.

Mr Gyamfi emphasised that GoldBod was not responsible for the destruction of the forest reserves but had chosen to support their restoration as part of its broader response to the environmental consequences of illegal mining.

According to him, addressing the environmental impact of mining must go hand in hand with efforts to protect the economic benefits Ghana derives from its gold resources.

“The solving of environmental concerns while at the same time dealing with the economic need that the gold must meet are not mutually exclusive; it goes hand in hand,” he said.

Beyond reclamation, Mr Gyamfi said GoldBod had provided GH¢5 million and five pickup vehicles to the National Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (NAIMOS) to strengthen its enforcement operations against illegal mining.

He added that GoldBod had also budgeted for 10 speedboats to support operations on water bodies affected by illegal mining. The boats, he said, had already been ordered and were currently being manufactured.

Mr Gyamfi urged the public to give GoldBod sufficient time to implement its interventions, stressing that the illegal mining challenge could not be resolved overnight.

He said the government’s response would require a combination of formalisation, enforcement, reclamation and gold traceability to tackle environmental degradation while ensuring that small-scale mining continues to contribute to the national economy.