Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister, has revealed that at least 23 people, including 11 children, have died after falling into abandoned illegal mining (galamsey) pits.
According to Dr Frank Amoakohene, 19 bodies have so far been retrieved from the abandoned galamsey pits, with four still trapped underground.
He disclosed that most of the victims were residents who fell into uncovered mining pits while using routes leading to their farms.
Dr Frank Amoakohene expressed concern over the deaths of children, saying 11 of the victims were minors whose lives had been cut short.
Speaking on Monday, August 24, 2026, during the commissioning of the new ultramodern office complex of the Minerals Commission in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region Minister stated, “Twenty-three lives have been lost only because they were on their way to their farms and fell into pits that were left uncovered by miners within the various areas. Only 19 have been recovered from the pits; the remaining four we have not been able to recover”.
“Eleven of them are children whose future has been cut short because someone, in his quest for money, left a pit uncovered within some of these areas that led to farmlands,” he added.
Also, the Regional Minister disclosed that with support from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the region has begun reclaiming and covering abandoned illegal mining pits across affected communities.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has said his government will not give up in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Mahama argued that Ghana is making progress in the fight against illegal mining.
According to John Mahama, the government will intensify efforts to reclaim forest reserves and other environmentally sensitive areas affected by illegal mining activities.
He highlighted that the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) has played a key role in the ongoing efforts.
Speaking during his Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper East Region, Mahama stated, “NAIMOS is working very hard. We have seized excavators, we have seized Changfang machines, and we have driven illegal miners out of this area, and we are making progress. Out of the almost 49 forest reserves that were invaded [by illegal miners], we have been able to clear as many of them as possible of illegal miners.
“What we initially did was that we handed the places to the Forestry Commission after clearing them, but the illegal miners don’t fear the forest guards, and so we now put a military detachment after we clear a forest reserve.
“That means we will have to spend more money to feed the soldiers and provide logistics for them to continue to stay in the forest, but we will not give up the fight.”
The president, however, admitted that additional resources are required to sustain security deployments in reclaimed forest reserves, adding that the government would remain committed to preventing illegal miners from returning to areas already cleared.
In related news, the Second Vice President of the Association, Benjamin Afunya, has revealed that several members of the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA) now import fish to prepare meals for their guests.
According to the Ghana Hotels Association, many of their guests, particularly expatriates, refuse to consume locally caught fish due to health concerns over Ghana’s galamsey menace.
He disclosed that the destructive impact of illegal mining on local water bodies has severely affected the hospitality sector, adding that hotel managers often have to reassure guests that the fish served in their establishments is imported.
Speaking in an interview on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, the Second Vice President of the Association, Benjamin Afunya, stated, “We import fish from abroad, and that is costing us a lot. The reason is that the guests who book our facilities don’t want to eat fish from Ghana.
So we have to convince them that the fish we give them is imported. Even with the stabilisation of the cedi against the dollar, importing these items is expensive,” he stated.
He further added that the majority of vegetables used by these high-end hotels are also imported.
“Are you aware that the vegetables we use in our hotels are imported from abroad? The Ghanaian market is unable to meet our demand, and so we are forced to import the vegetables from abroad. We had even thought the government would have included us when it launched the Planting for Food and Jobs, but that did not happen. We are not able to produce the size or type of vegetables we need,” he added.
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