President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that illegal mining activities have affected 48 of Ghana’s 288 forest reserves, adding that the affected areas are being prepared for reclamation.

Speaking at the Mining in Motion conference in Accra on Monday, October 19, 2026, the President said nine of the affected reserves had been designated as red zones because heavily armed illegal miners had prevented forest guards from entering them.

He explained that the situation had posed significant challenges to enforcement efforts, as the miners were armed and had occupied the reserves.

“We have 288 forest reserves, and of these forest reserves, 48 of them had been penetrated by illegal miners,” he said.

“And of the 48, nine were declared red zones, which means the forest guards could not enter those reserves because the illegal miners were fully armed,” he added.

President Mahama, however, said the nine red zones had since been cleared of illegal miners, paving the way for reclamation efforts to begin.

“I am happy to note that of those nine red zones, we have cleared all of them of illegal miners, and are currently preparing those forest reserves for reclamation,” he said.

The President commended individuals and institutions involved in the fight against illegal mining, acknowledging their efforts in regaining control of the affected forest reserves.

His remarks highlight the scale of illegal mining’s encroachment on Ghana’s forest reserves and ongoing efforts to restore areas affected by the activity.

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