In 2024, Ghana imported excavators valued at GH₵6.2 billion, making it the third-highest item in the country’s import bill, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has revealed.
The Minister expressed concern that these excavators might have been used for illegal mining activities across the country’s mining sites.
To tackle this issue, he urged the Ministry of Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to collaborate in controlling the importation of such equipment.
In addition, the Minister announced a ban on floating platforms, commonly known as “Changfans,” which are primarily used by illegal miners in rivers.
During a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah also proposed that the issuance of small-scale mining licenses be handled at the district level, with input from the District Security Command and district mining committees to ensure thorough vetting of documentation.
This initiative follows recommendations from a working committee set up by the government to review the current mining licensing system and address the illegal mining menace.
As part of the crackdown, the Minister disclosed that 60 excavators had been seized by the military task force over the past two months, with the equipment now held by Regional Ministers. Instead of being destroyed, the excavators will be repurposed for road construction.
The government has also made progress in recovering seven out of the nine forest reserves previously captured by illegal miners, and plans are underway to amend legislative instrument L.I 2462 to prohibit mining in these reserves. The amendment will also remove the President’s power to grant mining licenses for forest reserves.
