Conflicting figures released by authorities on arrests linked to illegal mining have raised questions about the scale and coordination of the country’s ongoing crackdown on the activity, widely known as “galamsey.”
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) said on Wednesday (25 March) it had made 237 arrests as part of its operations across the country.
“We have made 237 arrests, the majority of them are foreigners,” said Col. Dominic Buah, Director of Operations at NAIMOS, speaking at an Editors’ Forum.
He added that enforcement actions had led to the destruction of 94 excavators and nearly 3,000 chanfang machines, describing the effort as achieving an “87.7 percent strike rate.”
1,900 arrests
However, in a separate interview published on 20 March, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and NAIMOS, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, said more than 1,900 suspected illegal miners had been arrested across key hotspots nationwide.
“We can say that well over 1,900 suspected illegal miners have been arrested… across the relevant flashpoints,” he said on Accra-based Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily programme.
The differing figures were not immediately reconciled, leaving unclear whether they refer to separate operations, different timeframes, or overlapping datasets.
Schandorf said the arrests were made across six regions identified as major illegal mining hubs, including Ashanti, Western, Western North, Central, Eastern, and parts of northern Ghana, with Ashanti described as the epicentre due to its mineral wealth.
Challenges
He also acknowledged operational challenges, citing financial constraints affecting NAIMOS’ ability to sustain its activities.
“It has not been easy. To be very honest, NAIMOS has also been financially challenged in terms of its operations,” he said.
Despite the discrepancies, officials say the crackdown is yielding results, with a reported decline in the use of excavators at illegal mining sites as enforcement intensifies.
Zero tolerance
The government has stepped up efforts in recent months to curb galamsey, which has been blamed for environmental degradation and pollution of major water bodies, but the contrasting data highlights ongoing concerns about transparency and coordination in the fight.
The Secretary of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), Dominic Buah, has issued a strong warning to illegal miners, cautioning them against engaging in violent confrontations with members of his anti-galamsey task force.
“We will not stand and watch anyone use weapons against us. We are better trained in weapons and therefore warn that anybody who dares, NAIMOS will deal with them ruthlessly.
“It is a problem we are trying to address and we have the right to self defence and let no galamseyer miss that. If you go to the field with weapons and you try to fire it, a lot more will be at you.”
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