1200 excavators have been impounded at Tema port pending validation – Lands Minister

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah, has said 1,200 excavators have been impounded at the Tema port pending validation before clearance.

This action forms part of efforts to track all excavators entering the country and to control the inflow and use of earth-moving equipment in the fight against illegal small-scale mining.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, July 23, the minister said, “In collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance (GRA-Customs Division) and the Ports and Harbors Authority, we have initiated a proactive tracking of all imports of excavators and earth-moving equipment from the point of entry.

So far, 1,200 excavators have been impounded pending validation before clearance at the Tema Port.”

The minister explained that these measures form part of a broader strategy to tackle illegal mining and intensify the fight against galamsey in forest reserves and water bodies.

He announced that a new centralised digital system, named the Ghana Mine Repository and Tracking Software, aimed at monitoring mining machinery across the country, has been deployed by the Minerals Commission to support this initiative.

“The platform will serve as the single point of integration for all agencies, including Customs, DVLA, the Ministry of Transport, the Minerals Commission, National Security, and the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat,” he stated.

He added, “This system will ensure transparency, prevent duplication, and provide authorized institutions with real-time access to permit history, equipment location, and operational compliance.”

According to the Lands Minister, the pilot phase is already underway.

“A pilot project of over 191 excavators is currently being tracked in the dedicated control room of the Minerals Commission,” he said. This project is anchored on the Minerals and Mining (Mineral Operations Tracking of Earth Moving and Mining Equipment) Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2404), which makes it mandatory to register all equipment intended for mining use.

“These regulations ensure that machinery and equipment are tracked in real time and used only in mining areas for which they have been registered,” the minister stated.

He says the government has been able to successfully repossess all 9 forest reserves hitherto manned by armed guards.