President John Dramani Mahama has allocated GHS 200 million to restore 5,000 acres of land destroyed by illegal gold mining. The land reclamation work will start in 2027 across multiple affected mining districts. Illegal miners, known locally as galamsey operators, have damaged an estimated 12,000 acres of fertile soil across Ghana.
Speaking in Accra at the 2026 Mining in Motion Summit, President Mahama stated that environmental destruction threatens national water security and agricultural livelihoods. The planned reclamation project will clean polluted tracts, refill open trenches, and replant indigenous trees. Forest guards and environmental task forces have already reclaimed almost 800 acres of mined land with food crops under an early test phase.
The recovery program targets vulnerable natural ecosystems that generate clean drinking water for millions of citizens. Out of 288 designated forest reserves nationwide, armed illegal miners penetrated 48 protected zones over recent years. State security forces recently cleared all 9 forest reserves classified as red danger zones where armed groups previously blocked official access.
The government will also allocate an extra GHS 200 million in the 2027 state budget to support field operations. These funds will finance the National Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, known as NAIMOS, and the Blue Water Guards. Security officers on the ground have already seized more than 8,200 pieces of heavy mining equipment, including 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms.
Gold output from small-scale mining remains a pillar of national export revenues, creating an urgent need for balance between jobs and environmental safety. Small-scale gold exports generated 10.8 billion dollars in 2025 through the state purchasing entity GoldBod. Mineral wealth must never destroy the basic drinking water supplies and fertile farmlands of local communities, President Mahama told summit delegates.
The administration has trained 11 local mining cooperatives in safer extraction techniques to prevent chemical contamination in river basins. GoldBod now provides technical tools to small-scale miners so they can process gold ore without tearing down forest canopy. These technological improvements help formal miners extract valuable mineral deposits while preserving neighboring soils for local food production.
State planners will watch whether the 2027 budget disbursement reaches regional task forces without bureaucratic delays. Mining community leaders and cocoa farmers expect clear restoration timelines for local rivers and poisoned topsoil. Parliament will review the full GHS 400 million funding package during the upcoming fiscal debate later this year.