Ghana’s Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has issued a dire warning to Parliament, declaring the nation’s forests and waterways “under unprecedented attack” by armed illegal miners whose unchecked activities now threaten ecological stability, public health, and national security.
In a stark address, Buah revealed that 44 of Ghana’s 288 protected forest reserves are actively being pillaged by gangs using excavators and sophisticated weapons, with nine reserves entirely overrun and rendered inaccessible to forestry authorities.
“Our forests face annihilation. This isn’t just environmental degradation—it’s a crisis of survival,” Buah asserted, describing how illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) has escalated into organized, militarized operations. Forest guards, he noted, are outgunned and outmatched, leaving reserves like Tano Offin and Subin Shelterbelt stripped of biodiversity and laced with toxic chemicals from mining waste.
The minister’s alarm underscores a grim reality: despite sporadic crackdowns and high-profile pledges to combat galamsey, enforcement remains crippled by corruption, economic desperation, and the sheer firepower of mining syndicates. Buah linked the crisis directly to risks beyond ecology, including contaminated water sources driving disease outbreaks and destabilized rural communities becoming hotspots for conflict.
Environmental analysts point to a vicious cycle. Ghana, once hailed for tropical conservation efforts, has lost over 60% of its forest cover since 2000, with illegal mining responsible for 90% of recent deforestation. “Forests like Atewa Range, which supplies water to 5 million Ghanaians, are now battlegrounds,” said Accra-based ecologist Dr. Ama Serwah. “Every bulldozed acre deepens climate vulnerabilities and robs future generations of natural heritage.”
The government’s admission of helplessness in reclaiming nine reserves has sparked public outrage, with critics accusing past administrations of empty rhetoric. “We’ve seen task forces come and go, but the miners return with bigger machines,” said Daryl Bosu of advocacy group A Rocha Ghana. “Without systemic reforms—land use audits, community-led patrols, and alternative livelihoods—this war is unwinnable.”
Buah’s plea for urgent action coincides with reports of mercury and cyanide poisoning in rivers like the Pra and Ankobra, which sustain millions. Health officials warn of rising kidney failures and birth defects in mining regions, compounding existing pressures on Ghana’s healthcare system.
As pressure mounts, the government faces a pivotal choice: intensify militarized crackdowns or pivot to holistic strategies addressing root causes, including poverty-driven participation in galamsey. For now, Buah’s warning serves as a chilling reminder—the countdown to ecological collapse has begun, and Ghana’s response will determine whether its forests endure as lifelines or vanish into wastelands.
