The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has teamed up with the Ghana Armed Forces Engineer Regiment on a GH¢35 million project to reclaim land damaged by illegal mining in the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve.
The first phase will restore 60 hectares in Compartment 161, an area affected by years of encroachment. Approximately 192.4 hectares of woodland in the reserve were destroyed between 2021 and 2024 as illegal mining expanded.
The partnership combines GoldBod’s environmental restoration programme with the military’s expertise in heavy engineering and civil works. Its aim is to repair the physical damage caused by mining and prepare the affected land for long-term ecological recovery.
GoldBod Sustainability Manager Samuel Danso said mining had left the site with deep pits, unstable ground and widespread environmental degradation. The scale of the damage means the area cannot recover naturally without significant engineering work, he explained.
The Ghana Armed Forces Engineer Regiment, under the command of Major Shem Adolinama, is responsible for the project’s main construction and earthmoving operations.
Engineers are filling hazardous mining pits, strengthening the soil and reshaping the land to create conditions suitable for new vegetation. Drainage channels are also being built to control water flow and limit the amount of sediment reaching the Tano River.
The work is designed to tackle not only the most visible signs of illegal mining, but also the wider land and water-management problems that could prevent the forest reserve from recovering.
Major engineering operations are close to completion. Crews are now carrying out final grading and preparing the reclaimed site for the next stage of the restoration programme.
GoldBod and the Ghana Armed Forces engineering team are expected to transfer responsibility for the restored area to the Forestry Commission in the coming weeks.
The Commission will then oversee reforestation, including the planting of trees and the development of indigenous vegetation across the reclaimed land.
The project demonstrates how cooperation between state agencies can be used to address the environmental impact of illegal mining and restore degraded public natural assets.
GoldBod said the initiative reflected its commitment to environmental responsibility and the need for coordinated national action to reverse the damage caused by galamsey.
The Board said it was focused on ensuring the land was properly prepared for sustainable restoration, while supporting a smooth transition to the reforestation phase and the long-term recovery of the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve.
