Over 4,000 excavators held at Ghana ports amid galamsey crackdown

More than 4,000 excavators are currently being held at Ghana’s ports as the government intensifies measures to regulate the importation and use of heavy machinery that could be diverted to illegal mining activities.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said the new measures are intended to prevent excavators from entering the country without clear information about their purpose and intended location.

Under the revised system, importers must provide details of the equipment’s owner, end user and specific location where the excavator will be operated before it can be cleared from the port.

The Minerals Commission has also stationed officials at the ports to assist with the verification and approval process.

Mr Buah explained that approved excavators would be fitted with tracking devices and placed under geofencing systems. This will enable authorities to monitor their movements and ensure they remain within their approved areas of operation.

He said the goal is to make it possible to track every excavator operating in Ghana and prevent heavy equipment from being diverted to illegal mining sites.

The initiative forms part of the government’s wider efforts to tackle galamsey by disrupting the machinery and logistics that support illegal mining, alongside ongoing enforcement operations in mining communities and forest reserves.