The Director of Communications at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ama Mawusi Mawunyefia, has revealed that more than 1,500 illegal miners have been arrested across the country since the beginning of the year, including 60 Chinese nationals.
Speaking on GTV’s Current Agenda show on Saturday, October 25, 2025, Madam Mawunyefia said the arrests were made through a series of nationwide raids conducted by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Taskforce (NAIMOS) in collaboration with regional security councils.
She explained that the taskforce has been consistent in its operations throughout the year, targeting illegal mining activities in forest reserves, along water bodies, and in other identified hotspots.
“From the beginning of the year to date, we have arrested close to 1,500 people engaged in illegal mining. Out of this number, about 60 are Chinese nationals who were caught in various parts of the country,” she stated.
According to her, the team operates almost every day of the working week and maintains a strong monitoring system to prevent miners from returning to cleared sites.
The Director of Communications further disclosed that several excavators, bulldozers, chanfan machines, and water pumps have been seized during the raids. While environmentally destructive equipment is destroyed, others such as water pumps are repurposed and distributed to farmers through the Ministry of Agriculture.
Madam Mawunyefia emphasized that the government is committed to transparency in the fight against illegal mining, adding that her ministry now provides weekly updates to the public on arrests, prosecutions, and environmental recovery efforts.
“We want Ghanaians to see that government is serious about protecting our natural resources. Every Friday, we compile a report detailing the progress of anti-galamsey operations and share it with the public,” she noted.
She also revealed that the Attorney-General’s Office currently has about 61 dockets on illegal mining cases, with hundreds of offenders at different stages of prosecution.
Madam Mawunyefia reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to restoring degraded lands and ensuring the protection of forest reserves and river bodies. She added that the government’s ultimate goal is to make illegal mining unattractive while promoting responsible and sustainable mining practices across the country.