Forest guards finding it tough to tackle heavily armed galamsyers – Lands Minister

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has revealed that 44 of Ghana’s forest reserves are under serious attack by heavily armed illegal small-scale miners (Galamnsyers).

He says that the forest guards and rapid response team from the Foretsay Commission are unable to tackle these illegal miners because they do not have the sophisticated weapons that the gallamsyers possess.

Briefing Parliament on the state of Ghana’s forests on Thursday, February 20, the Minister said “Ghana’s forests continue to be under serious threats of deforestation and forest degradation due to factors known to all of us. Ghana is currently faced with an unprecedented threat to our forest resources and water bodies due largely to illegal small-scale mining activities.

“This situation has assumed crisis proportion of dire national security and public health consequences that require immediate attention.”

He added “Mr Speaker, it will interest you to know that out of the 288 forest reserves, a whopping 44 of these forest reserves are under serious attack by illegal miners, they are heavily armed with sophisticated weapons and very violent with a large number of excavators making it extremely difficult for a forest guard and rapid response to control them since they have no such sophisticated weapons to control them. Over 9 out of the 44 forest reserves have been completely taken over by these illegal mining thugs with impunity.  The Forestry Commission no longer has access to these forest reserves. ”

Prior to his submission, the Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, had expressed the government’s commitment to win the fight against illegal small-scale mining.

Murtala assured that measures had been put in place to stop galamsey.

“There’s no denying the fact that politicians are engaged in galamsey… It’s shocking to note that as of 2022, the state had taken a decision to withdraw security forces who were preventing people from engaging in galamsey in all galamsey areas.

“No [rethoric], we want to do less talking and much work. I can tell you what we’re doing is profound. Some of the things I can’t put out there. I had some engagement today, [Wednesday, February 19] with some organisations and institutions to see how we can stop galamsey and at the same time restore the water bodies,” he told Accra-based Citi FM

He assured that Ghanaians will see changes in the galamsey fight in a few months.

“By the will of God, within some few months, the people of Ghana will see some drastic changes as far as our water bodies and galmsey are concerned.”