In a briefing ahead of the Green Ashanti Initiative, Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Mahama Ayariga declared that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) can no longer pretend they do not see illegal mining in their areas. He said the Ministry of Local Government has been “perhaps the most culpable for looking the other way while galamsey destroys lives.”
Speaking at the Jimi River site near Obuasi, where the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II had inspected the river the same day, the minister announced a firm intervention to force local authorities to take ownership. “We have put together a conference that we will soon invite all MMDCEs to attend,” he said. “No MMDCE can tell me that they don’t see what is happening within their jurisdictions, and so we at the Ministry of Local Government are perhaps the most culpable when it comes to looking the other way and allowing this level of deprivation to take place.”
The minister added that the fight against galamsey can no longer be left to one Ministry. “We want to step up our game and make it not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Lands. When this goes on, it is equally the responsibility of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs,” he said. He urged traditional leaders to share the blame and support the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
Current data shows 120 of Ghana’s 261 MMDAs are directly affected by illegal mining, with 44 critical hotspot areas identified for permanent security presence. In the Western Region alone, 12 of 14 districts are under siege. The Pra, Ankobra, Offin, Tano, Birim and Densu rivers—serving millions—have been severely impacted. The Jimi River, whose course has been diverted by miners at Tasleman, threatens the Jimi Dam that supplies water to over 200,000 people in Obuasi and Adanse.
The briefing was part of the 153‑hectare Jimi Land Reclamation and River Watercourse Rehabilitation Project, a pilot under the Green Ashanti Initiative. The project, led by the Ashanti Green Initiative and supported by AngloGold Ashanti, aims to restore the diverted river, reclaim degraded lands in six stages and create alternative livelihoods through tree cultivation. The Asantehene warned, “we may get the money, but we will die after the environment is destroyed.”
Moving forward, the ministry will convene a conference with all MMDCEs to enforce accountability and collaborate with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to curb illegal mining. The government’s next steps will focus on strengthening local enforcement and restoring affected ecosystems.
