The Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North, Collins Adomako-Mensah, has strongly criticized the government and the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, for their failure to address the ongoing illegal mining crisis affecting water bodies and forest reserves.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, February 20, 2025, Adomako-Mensah reacted to a statement attributed to Minister Armah-Kofi Buah, which acknowledged that illegal miners had completely taken over nine forest reserves. He pointed out that while in opposition, the ruling government portrayed former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the main obstacle to tackling illegal mining.
According to him, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) convinced Ghanaians during their campaign that they were capable of confronting illegal mining and permanently resolving the issue.
However, the minister’s recent statement appears to contradict these earlier claims.
“I don’t know whether I should be sad or be happy. I thought galamsey was an Akufo Addo problem. I thought we were told that a new government would tackle it head-on and solve the problem,” he said.
Adomako-Mensah expressed his concerns about the minister’s stance, noting that it reflects a diminishing hope for the country’s success in the fight against illegal mining.
He further attributed the current situation, where illegal miners have taken over nine forest reserves, to the continuous politicization of the issue.
He cautioned that this approach could exacerbate the problem, leaving it unresolved.
“I never knew that our new government is so powerless that the minister in charge of lands and natural resources will boldly say that the forest commission has no access to 9 forest reserves anymore. I warned severally that when we politicize galamsey we may not be able to solve it,” he indicated.
What the Minister of Lands said
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, raised alarm over the rate of illegal mining activities within Ghana’s forest reserves, revealing that 9 out of 44 forest reserves have been completely taken over by illegal miners.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the minister described the situation as a national crisis, warning of its severe implications on the environment, water bodies, public health, and national security.
“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 have access to these forest reserves in the short term. Mr. Speaker, we want to clear all water bodies from illegal mining activities through the use of river gas under our Blue Water Initiative”, he stated.
Armah Kofi-Buah expressed worry over illegal mining activities popularly referred to as galamsey.
“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 proportions with national security and public health consequences that require immediate attention. It will interest you to note that out of the 288 forest reserves that I have mentioned, a whopping 44 of these forest reserves are under serious attack by illegal miners and an estimated area of over 5,000 hectares has been devastated”, he noted.
