ghana news 800-acre galamsey site reclaimed in Ashanti

About 800 acres of land degraded by illegal mining at Nyankumase in the Manso Adubia District in the Ashanti Region have been reclaimed, marking a major step in the government’s fight against galamsey and environmental destruction. 

The reclamation forms part of the government’s broader commitment to restore lands destroyed by years of unregulated mining, commonly called galamsey, and to return them to productive use for agriculture and other economic activities.

Since assuming office in 2025, President John Dramani Mahama has placed strong emphasis on reversing the environmental damage caused by illegal mining through what the government describes as the Galamsey Rehabilitation Initiative.

The initiative focuses on transforming abandoned and mined-out sites into viable farmlands, forest plantations, and other development-friendly zones that can support local livelihoods.

At an inspection of the Nyankumase reclamation project, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Isaac Andrews Tandoh, and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, outlined the measures the government had put in place to safeguard water bodies and to protect lands from further degradation.

He said the Manso Adubia site, which spans 800 acres, had been planted with cassia and teak trees as part of a long-term plan to retire the land and restore its ecological balance.

Visible damage

The scars of galamsey was visible, with open pits filled with muddy water, streams turned brown with silt, and cocoa farms swallowed by