By Amoako Kwame
The Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has imposed a one-month ban on all mining activities and the movement of excavators within the Juaben Municipality as authorities intensify efforts to combat illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, and restore degraded lands.
The directive, which remains in force throughout July, was announced by the Deputy Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, Alhaji Nji Abdallah Umar, following an inspection of several mining sites across the municipality.
According to him, REGSEC resolved to temporarily suspend all mining operations to allow for the reclamation of lands degraded by mining activities and the restoration of polluted water bodies without further disturbance.
Alhaji Umar stressed that no individual or company would be permitted to undertake mining activities or move excavators into or within the municipality during the period. He added that security agencies had been directed to strictly enforce the ban, warning that anyone who violated the directive would face the full rigours of the law.
“The Regional Minister, who chairs the Regional Coordinating Council and the Regional Security Council, has declared that from today, Wednesday, until next month, no mining activities will be permitted in the Juaben Municipality. What we want to see is the reclamation of pits and the restoration of degraded lands,” he said.
The temporary suspension forms part of broader government efforts to tackle the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining, which has devastated vast areas of forest and farmland while contaminating rivers and streams with sediment and hazardous chemicals.
Environmental experts have consistently warned that unchecked galamsey threatens Ghana’s water security, biodiversity and agricultural productivity. By suspending mining operations, authorities expect reclamation teams to safely backfill abandoned pits, stabilise eroded land, replant vegetation and begin restoring severely degraded ecosystems.
The exercise is also expected to improve public safety by reducing the risk of accidents associated with abandoned mining pits while helping to protect critical water sources that serve surrounding communities.
The Juaben initiative aligns with the government’s nationwide campaign against illegal mining, which combines stricter law enforcement with environmental restoration measures aimed at reversing years of ecological damage. Authorities say reclaiming degraded lands is essential to preserving Ghana’s natural resources, safeguarding livelihoods and ensuring that permitted mining activities are conducted in a more sustainable and responsible manner.
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