We will formalise mining to create jobs for young people, curb galamsey – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has promised that his government will sustain the fight against illegal mining and work to formalise mining activities to create jobs for young people.

He said the government had intensified efforts to clear illegal miners from forest reserves and other affected areas across the country.

Speaking during his Resetting Ghana tour in the Upper East Region, the President said the government is deploying military personnel to some reclaimed forest reserves to prevent illegal miners from returning to the sites.

NAIMOS is working very hard. We've seized excavators. We've seized Chanfang machines. When you drive them out of this area, they run to this other area. But we are making progress,” Mahama said.

President Mahama said nearly 49 forest reserves that had been invaded by illegal miners had been targeted in the government’s efforts to reclaim degraded areas.

He explained that previously, reclaimed forest reserves were handed over to the Forestry Commission, but illegal miners often returned after driving forest guards away.

According to him, the government has therefore resorted to deploying military detachments to some cleared areas to prevent illegal mining activities from resuming.

“Before, what we did was, when we clear, we hand over to the Forestry Services Commission, but they don't fear the forest guards. They go and drive the forest guards out, and they go back into and mine. And so now we put a military detachment,” he said.

The President acknowledged that keeping military personnel in the forests comes with additional financial obligations, including feeding the soldiers and providing logistics for their operations.

He, however, maintained that the government would not abandon the fight against illegal mining.

President Mahama also stressed the need to formalise mining activities in the Upper East Region to enable the sector to generate employment and also give the government greater control over mining operations.