More than 4,000 excavators remain at Ghana’s ports as the government tightens controls on the importation and deployment of heavy-duty mining equipment in an effort to prevent the machines from being diverted to illegal mining operations.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said the new system requires importers to provide details of the intended owner, end user and location where each excavator is expected to operate before the equipment can be cleared.

Mr Buah disclosed this during a policy dialogue between the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education in Accra.

The engagement was organised following a request by IMANI on August 10, 2026, for discussions on the Ministry’s inherited challenges, its operational performance and ongoing policy interventions in the mining sector.

Officials from the Minerals Commission, Forestry Commission, Lands Commission and Ghana Geological Survey Authority also participated in the engagement.

The IMANI delegation was led by its Founding President and Chief Executive Officer, Franklin Cudjoe, and included Vice-President for Strategy Selorm Branttie, writer and IMANI associate Kay Codjoe, and IMANI associate Ransford Brobbey.

End-user verification

Mr Buah said the previous system did not provide sufficient safeguards to establish where imported excavators eventually ended up, creating a gap that could be exploited by illegal mining operators.

“Over 4,000 excavators are still sitting, waiting for the owners to begin,” he said.

He explained that the new arrangement required importers to complete the necessary documentation before the machines could be released.

The Minerals Commission has also established a regulatory presence at the ports to verify the documentation associated with mining equipment before Customs clearance.

Under the system, importers are expected to identify the person or entity for whom an excavator is being imported, its intended destination and the operation for which it will be used.

The government plans to subsequently equip approved excavators with tracking devices and use geofencing technology to monitor their movements.

The system is expected to enable regulators to detect when a machine moves outside its approved operational area.

The Minister said the broader objective was to establish a traceable system covering every excavator operating in Ghana.

Bulk imports under scrutiny

Mr Buah acknowledged that the system could present difficulties for businesses that import excavators in bulk for resale.

Such companies may not always have identified buyers at the time the equipment arrives in Ghana.

However, the government is requiring importers to provide evidence of legitimate orders or identifiable end users before the machines are cleared.

“If you are importing 200 excavators, we have to know where those excavators are,” he said.

The new controls form part of the government's wider strategy to target the equipment and financing networks that support illegal mining, rather than focusing solely on operations at mining sites.

Scale of equipment seized

Figures presented by the Ministry show the extent of heavy equipment already encountered during enforcement operations in forest reserves.

As of July 2026, the authorities had seized 200 excavators and immobilised another 34.

They had also arrested 258 suspects, seized 1,469 pumping machines and immobilised 1,259, while 950 changfan machines had been seized and another 774 immobilised.

The figures have heightened the focus on preventing heavy equipment from reaching illegal mining sites in the first place.

The effectiveness of the new regime will, however, depend on the government's ability to maintain a verifiable trail from the point of importation through ownership and deployment to the actual location of each machine.

Questions also remain over how breaches of approved operating locations will be detected, which agencies will respond to alerts and the sanctions that will apply to owners whose equipment is diverted.

Mining sector regulation

The dialogue also touched on the need to balance enforcement with fair treatment of legitimate mining investors.

Mr Cudjoe urged the Minister to consider providing Adamus Resources with an opportunity to address identified breaches and comply with the requirements of any future agreement.

He argued that while regulation must be enforced, investors willing to remedy breaches should be given a clear pathway to regularise their operations.

The Minister indicated that the Ministry was prepared to engage operators that demonstrated a genuine commitment to correcting breaches and preventing their recurrence.

The discussions formed part of broader efforts to strengthen regulation of Ghana's mining sector while addressing illegal mining and its environmental impact.