The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has begun a GH¢35 million reclamation project to repair damage caused by illegal mining in the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve in the Western North Region.
The initiative covers 60 hectares in Compartment 161 of the reserve, an area heavily affected by unauthorised mining between 2021 and 2024. The operations destroyed about 192.4 hectares of woodland, leaving deep pits, unstable ground and serious risks to the reserve’s ecological integrity.
Samuel Danso, Sustainability Manager, said a major incursion by illegal miners in 2022 caused extensive harm to biodiversity and to timber concessions previously managed by the Samatex Timber Company.
Much of the affected land was left incapable of regenerating naturally because of the scale of the destruction. Significant engineering work was therefore required before the area could be prepared for ecological restoration.
GoldBod has assigned the Ghana Armed Forces Engineer Regiment to carry out the main earthmoving and civil engineering operations. The work is being conducted under the operational command of Major Shem Adolinama.
Engineers are filling hazardous mining pits and working to stabilise the ground by excavating and mixing mud with dry soil. Drainage channels are also being built to manage water flow and limit the risk of sediment entering the Tano River.
With the engineering stage nearing completion, the site is being graded and levelled. The work is intended to reduce soil erosion and create suitable conditions for the restoration of the damaged forest.
GoldBod and the military engineering team are expected to transfer the reclaimed 60-hectare site to the Forestry Commission in the coming weeks. The handover will allow tree planting to begin and support the return of indigenous vegetation.
It will also mark the move from civil engineering activity to the next stage of restoring the forest’s natural ecosystem.
GoldBod said the project reflects its wider commitment to environmental sustainability and highlights the need to combine responsible resource management with efforts to address the ecological consequences of illegal mining.
The Board said economic development and environmental protection must be pursued together to protect Ghana’s natural resources for future generations.
