Galamsey fight remains ineffective despite NAIMOS arrests and seizures – Awula Serwah

Galamsey is illegal small-scale mining, often carried out without government permits. It matters because miners can damage rivers, forests, and land while extracting minerals.

In Ghana, chanfang machines and excavators have continued entering water bodies and mining areas. Such equipment can clear land and disturb riverbeds, threatening water supplies and ecosystems. The activity is illegal because mining without required authorization bypasses environmental and safety controls.

The scale remains serious. President John Dramani Mahama says authorities confiscated more than 8,200 illegal-mining items, including 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms. Yet activist Awula Serwah says Ghana has made little meaningful progress and remains near an ecological catastrophe. The government plans to reclaim 5,000 acres from 2027, backed by GH¢200 million. Lasting results will depend on enforcement and effective restoration.

The government says it has intensified enforcement against illegal mining, known as galamsey. Announced actions include arrests, confiscating mining equipment, and plans to reclaim damaged land.

President John Dramani Mahama reported that authorities had confiscated more than 8,200 items used in illegal mining. The haul included 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms. These seizures target equipment used to operate mines and threaten rivers and forests.

The government also plans to reclaim 5,000 acres of degraded land from 2027, backed by GH¢200 million. However, activist Awula Serwah says chanfang machines and excavators still reach water bodies. That raises doubts about whether enforcement and reclamation will produce lasting environmental improvements. She specifically questions whether politically connected people are being arrested and prosecuted alongside ordinary operators.

The government’s response is large in stated scale: officials report confiscating more than 8,200 items linked to illegal mining. It also includes a planned programme to restore 5,000 acres of damaged land, showing action across enforcement and cleanup.

President John Dramani Mahama said the seizures include 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms. Excavators and chanfang machines can reach mining areas and water bodies, threatening rivers and other natural resources. The planned reclamation has GH¢200 million allocated and is scheduled from 2027.

Yet Eco-Conscious Citizens director Awula Serwah says the response has not produced enough visible change. She questions whether politically connected operators are being arrested and prosecuted, and whether reclaimed land will stay protected. The current figures therefore show a substantial government effort, but not proof that illegal mining networks have been dismantled or rivers and forests secured.

Illegal mining is allegedly sustained not only by miners, but also by networks that may include politically connected people and influential “high fliers.” Awula Serwah questioned whether these actors are being arrested and prosecuted. Their possible protection matters because weak accountability can preserve access, influence, and impunity.

A concrete sign is the continued appearance of chanfang machines and excavators in mining areas and water bodies. The government announced more than 8,200 confiscated items, including 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms. Yet equipment keeps returning, suggesting seizures alone may not disrupt the people supplying or controlling operations.

Serwah says activists still see a national emergency and possible ecological catastrophe. She also questions whether planned reclamation will create lasting improvements. Going forward, authorities must show that arrests reach politically connected suspects, equipment flows are stopped, and damaged rivers and forests genuinely recover.

Illegal mining, or galamsey, can turn environmental damage into a public-health crisis. It pollutes rivers, strips forests and farmland, and threatens water, food, livelihoods and safe communities.

In Ghana, chanfang machines and excavators continue entering water bodies despite enforcement, according to Awula Serwah. Mining can add sediment and pollutants to water, while land clearing destroys forests and productive soil. Contaminated water and food can expose people to illness, although the article gives no specific health figures.

The danger remains immediate: Serwah says Ghana is still nearing an ecological catastrophe. President Mahama reports more than 8,200 confiscated items, including 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms. Yet continued activity suggests seizures alone have not stopped the damage. Ghana plans to reclaim 5,000 acres from 2027, backed by GH¢200 million. Lasting protection requires enforcement, accountability and proof that nature is recovering.

Illegal mining is a network, not just a machine on a riverbank. Arrests and seizures may remove workers and tools temporarily, but new crews, money, equipment, and political protection can replace them. Without tracing who funds and supplies operations, enforcement treats symptoms rather than the system.

Ghana’s continuing chanfang machines and excavators appearing on water bodies illustrate this weakness. Even after operations confiscate equipment, active supply chains can bring replacements, while unprosecuted powerful backers keep demand and protection alive. Reclamation then repairs damaged land without necessarily preventing fresh destruction.

The source reports more than 8,200 seized items, including 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms. Yet Awula Serwah says activists still see a national emergency and no meaningful improvement. The planned reclamation of 5,000 acres from 2027, backed by GH¢200 million, will matter only if enforcement also follows financiers, politically connected people, and suppliers. Otherwise, Ghana’s rivers and forests remain exposed.

Illegal mining can strip forests, loosen soil, and wash mud and pollutants into rivers. This clouds water, destroys habitats, and can make drinking water costly or unsafe. Clean rivers support households, farming, fishing, and Ghana’s economy. Healthy forests protect soils, store water, and sustain wildlife and livelihoods.

In Ghana, chanfang machines and excavators keep reaching water bodies, despite enforcement operations. Their digging removes riverbanks and sends sediment downstream, while mining chemicals can poison aquatic life and threaten people using water.

Awula Serwah says Ghana has made little meaningful progress and remains near an ecological catastrophe. President John Dramani Mahama reports more than 8,200 confiscated items, including 135 excavators and nearly 200 firearms. He plans to reclaim 5,000 acres from 2027, backed by GH¢200 million.