Emmanuel Anyimah, Deputy CEO, Minerals Commission
Gold’s surge on global markets is reshaping Ghana’s economy at a critical moment. Higher prices have boosted export receipts and government revenues, reinforcing the metal’s central role in the country’s external earnings.
Yet, the boom has also heightened pressure on regulators to contain illegal mining — the environmental and fiscal leak that has long undermined the sector.
For years, successive governments launched taskforces and emergency operations against galamsey. Despite these interventions, rivers continued to turn brown and forest belts shrank, exposing the limitations of sporadic enforcement.
Under the new administration, Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has intensified efforts to curb illegal mining, rolling out a five-pronged strategy that combines enforcement, land restoration and alternative livelihoods.
Led by the Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the approach signals a shift from episodic crackdowns to a more structured and preventive framework. The strategy integrates environmental recovery, regulatory reforms and technological monitoring with stronger community engagement.
At the centre of the environmental effort is a reclamation programme aimed at restoring degraded lands and water bodies. Through initiatives such as the ‘Tree for Life’ reforestation campaign, government hopes to rehabilitate landscapes damaged by years of illegal mining.
During a recent visit to Manso Nyankomanse in the Ashanti Region, the minister inspected the restoration of about 320 hectares of degraded land — comprising 240 hectares at Nyankomanse and 80 hectares at nearby Asare. The project, he said, demonstrated that damaged ecosystems can be returned to productive use if sustained interventions are applied.
Environmental data suggest early gains. Turbidity levels — a key measure of water pollution — have declined across several major rivers.
At River Tano in Sefwi, turbidity fell sharply from 139 NTU in 2024 to 14 NTU in 2025, representing an 89 per cent drop. Barekese recorded a decline from 22 to 11 NTU, while the Ankobra at Domenase improved by about 32 per cent. Similar gains were recorded at the Densu at Mangoase and the Ankobra at Ampasie.
Cleaner rivers have broader economic implications. Improved water quality reduces treatment costs for utilities, lowers health risks and helps sustain agriculture in mining-affected areas.
Alongside land restoration, the ministry is expanding alternative livelihood programmes aimed at reducing communities’ dependence on illegal mining. Initiatives such as the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) seek to provide sustainable employment while formalising small-scale mining operations.
Enforcement has also been strengthened through the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS). Security deployments now protect forest reserves and water bodies designated as security zones.
Reforms to the licensing regime are intended to formalise small-scale mining while tightening compliance requirements.
The government has also stepped up surveillance using artificial intelligence-enabled satellite monitoring and remote sensing systems capable of detecting illegal mining activity in real time.
Taken together, the measures reflect a more coordinated national response — combining environmental restoration, enforcement, technology and community participation.
Parliament was recently told by the minister that more than 500 excavators had been seized from illegal mining sites nationwide since he assumed office, underscoring the scale of the ongoing crackdown.
Yet at the operational centre of this effort sits at one key state institution: the Minerals Commission.
The Operational Engine
As Ghana’s regulator of mineral resources, the Minerals Commission is responsible for implementing mining policy, supervising licences and ensuring sustainable development of the sector.
Under Chief Executive, Isaac Andrews Tandoh, and his deputy Emmanuel Anyimah, the commission has adopted a quieter but more systematic strategy.
At the centre of this shift is Anyimah, the Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Support Services.
From his office, Anyimah oversees recruitment, financing and deployment for field operations, including the Blue Water Guard — now the most visible enforcement arm of the state.
“The President and the Minister of Lands were clear that enforcement must work this time,” he says. “My responsibility is to ensure we build structures that remain — not exercises that come and go.”
Building Enforcement That Stays
Launched last year, the Blue Water Guard was designed as a permanent, community-based force to protect rivers, concessions and forest belts from illegal mining.
Unlike previous military-style crackdowns, the initiative relies on trained local recruits embedded within affected districts, providing continuous surveillance and intelligence.
Anyimah supervises the full operational chain — recruitment, vetting, training and deployment.
“We didn’t want a symbolic programme,” he explains. “We wanted something structured and accountable, with people permanently assigned to the communities they protect.”
More than 1,600 personnel have already been deployed nationwide, with a target of exceeding 2,000.
The programme is backed by roughly GH¢4m in funding, including about GH¢3.2m in monthly wages — effectively transforming enforcement into a standing budget line rather than an ad-hoc operation.
Deployments cover mining hotspots across the Western, Western North, Eastern, Ashanti, Central, Volta, Northern and Savannah zones, including communities along the Pra and Black Volta basins.
The guards are unarmed. Their role is surveillance and reporting rather than direct confrontation.
“They are the eyes and ears,” Anyimah says. “When something happens, we know immediately. Then NAIMOS and the security agencies move in.”
This coordination with NAIMOS is central to the strategy.
“Illegal mining thrives in gaps,” he adds. “If enforcement disappears for two weeks, operators return. Our goal is to ensure there is always someone on the ground.”
Beyond Gold
Public debate around galamsey often centres on gold mining, but the commission argues the environmental threat extends further.
Illegal sand winning — particularly along the Volta Basin — has destabilised riverbanks and damaged farmland, often escaping national scrutiny.
“People think it is only about gold,” Anyimah says. “But sand winning can be just as destructive. Our responsibility covers all minerals.”
Protecting licensed operators is equally important for maintaining regulatory credibility.
“When we issue a licence, we must protect it. Otherwise the entire framework loses credibility,” he said.
Technology Enters The Fight
Alongside manpower, the commission is increasingly relying on digital monitoring systems.
Historically, excavators could be moved easily between licensed concessions and illegal sites, making enforcement difficult. Regulators are now closing that loophole.
More than 2,000 heavy-duty machines are currently being tracked digitally, with another 3,000 trackers being procured.
Proposed amendments to the Minerals and Mining Act will require excavators to be registered and geofenced to specific concessions. If equipment moves outside authorised boundaries, alerts are triggered for investigation.
“If an excavator leaves its permitted site, we know immediately,” Anyimah says. “That is usually the first sign of illegal activity.”
Explosives trucks are also being monitored — a measure shaped partly by lessons from the Appiatse disaster.
The shift reflects a broader strategy: moving from reacting to environmental damage after it occurs to preventing it in real time.
Making mining more investible
Beyond enforcement, government hopes reforms will make Ghana’s mining sector more attractive to responsible investors.
Reducing geological uncertainty is a key priority.
The Ghana Geological Survey Authority is expected to expand nationwide mapping and prospecting work, generating reliable data on mineral deposits that can shorten exploration timelines and lower investment risk.
“The gold is there,” Anyimah says. “But investors need credible data. When that exists, you attract serious capital.”
The government is also working with GoldBod to develop traceable supply chains for Ghanaian gold.
Traceability — identifying exactly where gold originates — is increasingly essential for global buyers seeking to comply with environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.
Being able to track gold from mine to export can reduce risks associated with environmental damage, human-rights violations and child labour, while aligning Ghana with international frameworks such as OECD due-diligence standards and the Responsible Jewellery Council.
Officials believe stronger traceability, combined with better geological intelligence, could help formalise production and boost state revenues at a time when gold dominates Ghana’s foreign-exchange earnings.
Community-Based Mining
Another policy shift is the introduction of Responsible Cooperative Mining — a model designed to empower communities to manage small-scale mining collectively.
The goal is to move miners away from rivers and environmentally sensitive areas by allocating designated concessions to organised community cooperatives.
“We want to give people defined areas to mine so they leave the water bodies,” Anyimah explains.
Under the model, the ministry and Minerals Commission allocate concessions to registered cooperatives, regulate operations and monitor compliance.
The structured system improves oversight, formalises small-scale mining and allows gold production to be traced directly to its source.
Local Participation And Jobs
The reforms are also intended to deepen local participation in Ghana’s mining value chain.
Through local content policies, Ghanaian companies increasingly supply services — from catering and logistics to equipment and labour — to large mining firms.
Anyimah credits previous administrations for pushing this agenda. “They placed Ghanaians at the centre of mining in their own country,” he says.
As a result, Ghanaian professionals increasingly occupy senior roles within major mining companies.
The Blue Water Guard initiative has also created employment for hundreds of young people in mining communities.
Meanwhile, the commission plans to decentralise its operations by establishing district-level offices in active mining areas.
“Regulation works best when you are close to the operations,” Anyimah says. “Local presence allows faster responses and better engagement with communities.”
The offices are expected to create technical and administrative opportunities, including placements for graduates from mining and engineering institutions.
Strengthening The Institution
Beyond field operations, Anyimah’s responsibilities include improving the commission’s internal systems.
Recovering outstanding licence fees, strengthening financial controls and expanding human-resource capacity are central priorities.
“If the commission is financially strong, it can fund enforcement itself,” he says. “You cannot regulate effectively without resources.”
He credits support from the President, the Lands Minister and the commission’s leadership for enabling reforms.
Playing The Long Game
After years of stop-start anti-galamsey campaigns, officials say durability is now the objective.
The Blue Water Guard and other enforcement structures are expected to be anchored in legislation to protect them from political cycles.
For Anyimah, success will not be measured by dramatic raids but by quieter indicators: cleaner rivers, fewer incursions and stronger regulatory compliance.
“You cannot solve this with one operation,” he says. “You build systems, and the systems do the work.”
If those systems take root, Ghana’s mining sector could generate greater revenue while protecting ecosystems and communities.
In a country where illegal mining has long resisted quick fixes, the slow construction of durable institutions may prove more effective than any headline-grabbing crackdown.
By Kwabena Mensah