The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Elikem Kotoko, has said Ghana is making progress in the fight against illegal mining, although the country is yet to achieve the desired results.

According to him, the nature of illegal mining has made the problem difficult to tackle and means it cannot be solved overnight.

Speaking in an interview on TV3 on Monday, August 31, 2026, he said the government’s continued efforts showed that Ghana was moving in the right direction.

“Are we still where we used to be? The answer is no. Are we where we want to be? The answer is still no, but are we on the right path? The answer is certainly yes,” he said.

Petrol, diesel and LPG prices projected to rise from September 1

Kotoko said Ghana had established several task forces in the past, but some had failed to achieve the expected results.

“In the past, we have had instances of such task forces that did not do us what is expected of them. I must commend NAIMOS in particular for the actions they have been taking on a daily and weekly basis in ensuring that they fight this battle,” he stated.

Kotoko also defended the work of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), rejecting claims that the secretariat was simply a duplication of previous anti-galamsey task forces.

He said the fight against illegal mining remained a priority for the government and called for sustained efforts to protect the country’s forests and environment.

“The reason being that with the formation of NAIMOS, which some want to make us believe that there have been other forms of task forces and therefore it is a duplication of efforts or a repetition of the same, it is not true at all,” he said.

Kotoko said NAIMOS represented a different approach to tackling illegal mining and deserved recognition for its work.

He, however, acknowledged that more work was needed to fully address the menace, saying the government would continue its efforts to protect Ghana’s forests and natural resources.

ANAS/MA

Technology will be key to improving air traffic management – President Mahama