The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) will in 2027 support the reclamation of three forest reserves devastated by illegal mining as part of efforts to restore degraded areas, its Chief Executive Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, has disclosed.
Speaking during a Space conversation on X on Sunday, August 9, 2026, Mr Gyamfi said GoldBod had already begun supporting reclamation efforts and would expand the intervention to three forest reserves next year.
He cited the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve as one of the areas where reclamation efforts are underway, with Apaprama also expected to benefit from the intervention.
“We are reclaiming it. And next year, we are taking up three devastated forest reserves because the President is so passionate about it; it is dear to his heart, and says GoldBod, you need to help in this fight,” he said.
Mr Gyamfi stressed that GoldBod was not responsible for the destruction of the reserves but had decided to contribute to restoring areas degraded by mining activities.
He said the intervention formed part of GoldBod’s broader efforts to address the environmental impact of illegal mining, alongside formalization and the promotion of environmentally responsible small-scale mining.
“The solving of environmental concerns while at the same time dealing with the economic need that the gold must meet are not mutually exclusive; it goes hand in hand,” he said.
Mr Gyamfi also disclosed that GoldBod had provided GH¢5 million and five pickup vehicles to the National Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (NAIMOS) to strengthen enforcement efforts.
He said GoldBod had further budgeted for 10 speedboats to support operations on water bodies affected by illegal mining, with the boats already ordered and being manufactured.
He appealed to Ghanaians to give GoldBod more time to implement its interventions, arguing that the illegal mining crisis could not be resolved immediately.
He said a combination of formalisation, enforcement, reclamation and traceability would help reduce the environmental damage associated with small-scale mining while maximising the economic benefits of Ghana’s gold resources.
