GH¢400m to be allocated for reclamation of galamsey destroyed lands, EPA and Blue Water Guards in 2027 Budget – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled a GH¢400 million budget allocation for 2027, dedicated to land reclamation and environmental protection initiatives. Half of this sum, GH¢200 million, will be utilized to restore 5,000 acres of land damaged by illegal mining activities, known as galamsey. The remaining GH¢200 million will bolster the efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Blue Water Guards.

Addressing the Mining in Motion 2026 Summit in Accra on Monday, October 19, 2026, Mahama announced that the reclamation project would commence in 2027. He emphasized that the initiative follows the government's and mining companies' ongoing efforts to restore lands adversely affected by illegal mining, which has affected an estimated 12,000 acres nationwide.

Prior to the summit, the government, in collaboration with the Asantehene, launched the Jimi Land Reclamation and River Watercourse Rehabilitation Project to rehabilitate 153 hectares of degraded land in the Ashanti Region. During the summit, Mahama highlighted the accomplishments of various mining companies and state institutions in reclaiming degraded lands.

Notably, Newmont had restored nearly 800 acres of mined-out land and cultivated useful crops. The Ghana Gold Board had also awarded a contract to the Ghana Armed Forces for reclaiming 253 acres in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, where progress was underway. Mahama informed that illegal miners had encroached upon 48 of the country's 288 forest reserves, with nine of these reserves previously designated as red zones due to armed miners obstructing forest guards.

Consequently, all nine reserves were cleared of illegal miners and are currently being prepared for reclamation. He also reported the confiscation of over 8,200 items linked to illegal mining, including 135 excavators, and the recovery of nearly 200 firearms. Additionally, 6,060 excavators were registered and detained at ports, while 2,059 were equipped with tracking devices for monitoring purposes.

Mahama also mentioned that 11 cooperatives had been trained in sustainable mining practices and were now operational. The Ghana Gold Board was financing small-scale artisanal mining using technology aimed at minimizing environmental degradation. Lastly, Mahama announced a reforestation initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation in partnership with the REDD+ program. This initiative aims to cover multiple parts of the country, including the Savannah regions.