Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim has confirmed that President John Mahama has imposed a total ban on all mining activities in Ghana’s forest reserves as part of his 120-day social contract.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, she stated clearly that “there is not to be any continuing illegal mining activity in forest reserves, nor is there to be any new mining activities in forest reserves.”

According to her, this strong stance is the basis for the recent operations being carried out by the government in these protected areas.

“When there are breaches, your reporters draw attention to it, and the joint security task force goes into those forest reserves and acts,” she said. “If there were no ban, there would be no confiscation of excavators, no arrests, and no raids in forest areas.”

She also cited the Akonta Mining case, explaining that such enforcement actions would not exist if there were no official ban in place. The government’s goal, she stressed, is to “substantially reduce illegal mining, especially in our forest reserves, because that poses an existential threat.”

Shamima Muslim drew a contrast between the current administration’s actions and those of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

“In the eight years of the NPP administration, we no longer saw commitment from political leaders to act,” she said. “Even the then Minister of Environment admitted in a report that confiscated excavators vanished into thin air.”

She recalled how civil society groups, including the current leadership, had supported calls for a state of emergency and the repeal of L.I. 2462 at the time due to the severity of the illegal mining problem.

“We saw three different operations launched to fight galamsey under the NPP, and yet, the devastation only got worse. So we were well within our right to align with the call for emergency measures,” she explained.

Now in office, Muslim said President Mahama has made the fight against illegal mining a top priority from day one. A task force comprising security agencies and other stakeholders has been formed to tackle the issue head-on.

“There is immediate will and commitment from the government. No minister has complained of interference from the presidency,” she stated.

She concluded by saying the government is open to constructive input and committed to lasting solutions.

“If we don’t prove there’s been a real change in approach by 2028, we will have serious questions to answer. That’s why we’re listening to every well-meaning voice and reviewing our laws, especially the Minerals and Mining Act,” she said.