No new mining licences under Mahama; we’re tracking every excavator – Forestry Commission

Deputy Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Elikem Kotoko, says the Mahama administration has rolled out a series of robust reforms to clamp down on illegal mining activities across the country.

Speaking on Prime Insight on Joy Prime on Saturday, October 4, Mr. Kotoko said recent interventions by the government were already yielding results, particularly in strengthening control over mining operations and addressing security lapses within forest reserves.

“A lot of things accounted for why people were calling for a state of emergency. The fact was that we were issuing licences, but President Mahama has now said no new licences. We’ve repossessed nine of the red zones,” he revealed.

He explained that new systems had been introduced to enhance accountability, transparency, and traceability within the mining sector.

“We have now decided to register excavators, track them and geofence them, which was not the case in the past. They just came through the ports and went everywhere,” he said.

According to Mr. Kotoko, the creation of new security zones forms part of the broader anti-galamsey reforms.

He highlighted the establishment of a new, specialized task force known as NAIMOS, the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Squad, describing it as a major improvement over previous operations such as Operation Halt and GalamStop.

“These are military men purposely trained for this assignment. In the previous regime, they were not trained; they were just military men deployed to go.

“But NAIMOS includes the military, the police, immigration officers because of the foreigners involved, the Narcotics Control Commission because drugs are being peddled in that space, and national security as well,” he explained.

Mr. Kotoko noted that the new task force has been structured to maintain a sustained presence at illegal mining sites, preventing a resurgence of offenders.

“This time, they are being deployed permanently and on a rotational basis, not just to extinguish the fire and leave.

“Even before full deployment began, they arrested a gang of nine criminals at the Awiemfutu Forest Reserve after earlier operations there. They have since been taken to Accra and split among different police stations,” he said.

He added that the Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources were working closely with the Attorney-General’s Department to ensure effective prosecution of those arrested.

“As I’m aware, three days ago the Minister placed a call through to the Attorney-General, and that process is being handled,” he said.

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