GhArticles.com Every News in Detail
President John Dramani Mahama has issued a directive barring all government officials from engaging in any form of mining—whether legal or illegal—effective immediately.
Speaking at the launch of the Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative in Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality on Friday, March 21, 2025, President Mahama stressed that any official wishing to venture into mining must first resign from government.
“I have directed that no government appointee at any level should engage in any form of legal or illegal mining. If you want to be a miner, leave the government and go and be a miner,” he declared.
The move forms part of Mahama’s broader environmental restoration agenda, which includes revoking mining leases in forest reserves and banning the issuance of new ones in protected areas.
Mahama also instructed security and regulatory agencies to intensify efforts against illegal mining, citing the devastating impact of galamsey on Ghana’s environment, agriculture, and public health.
“Farmers are losing their farmlands, rivers are turning brown and toxic with pollution, and entire communities are being affected,” he warned.
Government officials caught violating the directive will face immediate dismissal and legal action.
The Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative, a major part of Mahama’s 120-day social contract with Ghanaians, seeks to restore degraded lands affected by illegal mining and deforestation.
Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, cautioned that Ghana’s forest cover is depleting at an alarming rate, posing serious ecological risks.
