Members of the Concerned Small-Scale Miners Association in Ghana’s Ashanti Region have accused security personnel and politically connected individuals of harassing operators, demanding money and confiscating mining equipment under the pretext of tackling illegal mining.
The association says its members in Amansie South District are facing repeated raids at their concessions, despite claiming they do not operate in forest zones or river bodies.
The latest complaints follow a two-day security operation at Manso Watreso, Adagya and other communities in the district, during which more than seven excavators were seized.
The machines were reportedly parked at different locations and were not being used when they were taken.
A visit to the affected sites on Saturday, October 17, 2026, found that security personnel had also destroyed several pieces of equipment belonging to the miners.
Philip Kwabena Bawa, the association’s Head of Operations, said the miners regarded the action as harassment and called on the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to intervene.
Mr Bawa also alleged that influential individuals were operating unofficial task forces in the area, targeting small-scale miners for personal benefit.
He described the situation as serious, saying the alleged actions were damaging the mining industry, infringing fundamental human rights and undermining Ghana’s efforts to combat corruption.
“Intimidation and alleged extortion of small-scale miners by some elements within law enforcement agencies, especially the police, national security, politically exposed persons who run their own task forces for selfish interests, remain a serious concern,” Mr Bawa said.
He claimed that the unauthorised operations had resulted in excavators and other machinery being confiscated unlawfully, despite being legally deployed by licensed operators.
“Some security personnel, sometimes acting under the influence or protection of powerful political figures, storm mining sites with demands for illegal payments and, in some cases, violently eject miners from land they are legally licensed to mine,” he added.
According to Mr Bawa, the alleged conduct is threatening both the livelihoods of miners and efforts to formalise Ghana’s small-scale mining industry.
He said the sector employs thousands of people and contributes significantly to the local economy, warning that continued harassment could undermine its development.
“The small-scale mining sector has huge socio-economic prospects if properly managed. The employment opportunities, the supply of raw gold for value addition, and the upstream, mainstream and downstream linkage benefits, as well as its integration into our local economy, cannot be overemphasised,” he said.
