Award-winning journalist Erastus Asare Donkor has warned that Ghana is losing ground in the fight against illegal mining, with illegal miners returning to forest reserves previously cleared of destructive activities.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Wednesday, Mr Asare Donkor said the country had made significant progress in protecting forest reserves in 2025, but that progress is now being reversed.
“Well, I have said it, and I’ll say it again: that in the area of forest reserves, we made a significant improvement,” he said.
He recalled that at the beginning of 2025, several forest reserves had been classified as “red zones” by the Forestry Commission because illegal miners had taken control of them.
“When you compare that to when we started in 2025, there were a number of red zones. The Forestry Commission describes them as red zones because there were armed people who had staged roadblocks and taken over the forest reserves, and you cannot enter,” he explained.
According to him, even forest guards and rapid response teams could not enter some of the affected areas. He cited the Tano Amiya, Yoyo and Offin Shelter Belt forest reserves as examples.
“Not even the forest guards could enter the rapid response teams, and I can mention a number of them: the Tano Amiya, Yoyo, Offin Shelter Belt, and some forest guards were killed. Some of them were maimed in those forests, and as we entered into 2026, we had zero of those red zones,” he said.
Mr Asare Donkor attributed the earlier progress mainly to the IGP’s task force and efforts by NAIMOS under Colonel Boah.
“And so it tells you that yes, we made quite significant progress in that area. And I will also add that to mainly the IGP’s task force that was set up back then, and then some efforts of NAIMOS under Colonel Boah in those particular periods,” he stated.
However, he said the situation is changing, with illegal miners gradually returning to protected areas.
“But I’m sad to say that we are retrogressing. We are going back. We are rolling back that progress,” he warned.
He said the Forestry Commission has recently indicated that illegal miners are returning to forest reserves, citing reports from Bekwai where illegal miners had allegedly pitched camps.
“Currently, as we speak, the Forestry Commission has indicated that illegal miners are coming back to the forest reserves,” he said.
“Just recently, if you saw the stories that I did from Bekwai, one of those forest reserves, we had illegal miners pitching camp in those forest reserves.”
He further raised concerns about miners using metal detectors to enter protected areas, describing them as “peeping, the dig and wash people.”
“Now we have those that we call peeping, the dig and wash people who are holding metal detectors, entering into certain areas within the Tano Awia and Tano Nimri forest reserves,” he said.
Mr Asare Donkor cautioned that unless urgent action is taken, the gains made in the fight against illegal mining could be completely lost.
“So we made the gains, but we are, you know, rolling it back gradually. And if we don’t take care, all the gains will be lost,” he said.
He also raised concerns over excavators seized during anti-galamsey operations but later released.
“Especially at a point where some of the excavators that were seized were released back to the illegal miners, and so that is the gain that I would say we have chalked,” he added.
Discussion about this post