The government has embarked on a massive drive to restore lands destroyed by illegal mining activities commonly known as ‘galamsey’ as it rolls out a nationwide reclamation programme aimed at recovering degraded forest reserves, abandoned mine pits and polluted landscapes through large-scale tree planting initiatives.
Accordingly, about 800 acres of mined-out land along the River Subri at Nkroful, hometown of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, in the Western Region, have been handed over to RM Ecorestore Ghana Limited for reclamation and reforestation works.
The project is sponsored by Zijin Golden Ridge Limited / Zijin Ghana, a large-scale mining company operating at Akyem, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
It is an initiative spearheaded by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.
The Minister’s intervention is said to have saved the country millions of cedis that would otherwise have been spent on the project from the Consolidated Fund.
The land reclamation initiative is being carried out through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources as part of government’s broader strategy to restore vegetative cover in areas devastated by years of illegal mining.
Government is hopeful that the Nkroful project will serve as a blueprint for future interventions, demonstrating that with political will, strategic partnerships, and community involvement, Ghana can heal its environment while building a more sustainable future.
Under the project, thousands of cassia and teak seedlings are expected to be planted across the reclaimed land in an effort to restore the ecological health of the area and gradually return the land to productive use.
The Government said the exercise is not only intended to reclaim degraded lands, but also create economic opportunities for residents in mining-affected communities through employment and long-term plantation development.
Other project
The Nkroful project followed a similar exercise already underway at Nyankumase in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region, where extensive tree planting activities have commenced on abandoned mining lands.
At Nyankumase, large portions of degraded land have already been replanted with cassia and teak seedlings as part of a long-term rehabilitation programme designed to improve soil quality and restore the area’s environmental balance.
RM Ecorestore Ghana Limited, the company undertaking the exercise, is working in collaboration with government to reclaim mined-out lands across several parts of the country.
Government makes commitment
Speaking to journalists after a brief ceremony to officially commence the reclamation works at Nkroful, the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah, said government remained committed to protecting the country’s lands, forests and water bodies from further destruction.
He noted that the increasing destruction caused by illegal mining has made environmental restoration a major national priority that requires urgent and sustained intervention.
The Minister said President Mahama’s administration was determined to reverse the damage caused by years of irresponsible mining activities, especially in forest reserves and farming communities.
According to him, initiatives such as the Tree for Life and Blue Water programmes are central to government’s environmental sustainability agenda.
He said the interventions are intended to promote reforestation, restore polluted water bodies and encourage responsible land use practices in mining-prone areas.
The Minister stressed that reclaiming abandoned mining pits has become necessary due to the dangerous environmental and health risks such sites pose to nearby communities.
Mr Armah-Kofi Buah reiterated that many of the degraded lands, once restored, could be converted into productive agricultural lands, forest plantations and other development-oriented projects capable of benefiting local residents.
He said since returning to office in 2025, President Mahama has consistently highlighted environmental restoration as one of the key pillars of his administration’s development agenda.
Mr Armah-Kofi Buah said the President remains deeply concerned about the rapid destruction of forest reserves and the contamination of major rivers caused by illegal mining activities in recent years.
He maintained that the ongoing reclamation projects are part of broader measures being rolled out to tackle galamsey while ensuring affected lands are not left permanently destroyed.
The Minister assured that more degraded lands across the country would soon be reclaimed under similar programmes as government intensifies efforts to restore the environment.