Illegal miners who have been removed from forest reserves are returning to the same areas with new equipment, the Forestry Commission has disclosed.
The development has prompted the Commission to change its strategy in the fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, with plans to maintain permanent, round-the-clock security camps in affected forest reserves.
The Western Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, Nana Poku Bosompim, said periodic raids followed by the withdrawal of security personnel had proved insufficient because miners simply returned once the officers left.
Speaking on TV3’s Key Points programme on Saturday, August 8, 2026, Nana Poku said the continuous arrival of new mining equipment had made it difficult for authorities to permanently secure cleared areas.
“We see new changfan machines every day. You burn them, and they keep bringing [them] in,” he said.
Miners moving between forest reserves
According to Nana Poku, miners often relocate to other parts of a forest reserve when confronted by security teams, only to return to previously cleared areas after the operation ends.
He said the operators were aware that security personnel could not remain at every location permanently under the old approach.
“You go to this particular forest reserve, flush the people out, destroy the machinery, and they move to another forest,” he explained.
The Commission’s latest approach is therefore focused on maintaining a continuous presence in vulnerable areas to prevent illegal miners from re-establishing their operations.
125 changfan machines destroyed
Nana Poku cited an eight-day operation in the Cape Three Points Forest Reserve in the Western Region as an example of the scale of the problem.
The operation resulted in the destruction of 125 changfan machines and 202 industrial water pumps.
Security teams also destroyed 59 makeshift structures used as mining camps and arrested 41 people during the exercise.
Four of those arrested were women who were found in the forest after 2 a.m.
27 suspects remanded
Nana Poku said 27 of the 41 suspects had subsequently been remanded by a Circuit Court in Takoradi.
The remaining suspects were expected to appear before the court from Monday.
Meanwhile, the Forestry Commission has begun establishing permanent camps inside the Cape Three Points Forest Reserve as part of efforts to prevent illegal miners from returning to the area.
The latest development highlights the growing challenge facing authorities as they seek to protect Ghana’s forest reserves from illegal mining, despite intensified raids and the destruction of mining equipment.
