Mining engineer and academic Dr. Kenneth Bansah has proposed the establishment of a Mine Land Restoration Fund to finance the rehabilitation of lands, forests, and water bodies damaged by illegal mining activities.
According to Dr. Bansah, proceeds recovered from illegal mining operations should be channelled into the fund to ensure that environmental restoration is financed by those responsible for the destruction rather than by taxpayers.
He argued that while the prosecution and imprisonment of illegal miners remain important deterrents, government should also prioritize the recovery of profits earned through unlawful mining activities.
“The state must not only jail offenders but also recover the proceeds of illegal mining and use them to restore the environment,” he stated.
Dr. Bansah suggested that courts should require convicted illegal miners to surrender all proceeds derived from their activities and, where possible, participate in the reclamation of degraded mining sites.
He further proposed that assets seized during anti-illegal mining operations, including excavators and other machinery, should be directed toward restoration efforts. According to him, excavators confiscated during military and law enforcement operations could be retained and deployed for land reclamation projects.
Other seized assets, he said, could be auctioned, with the proceeds deposited into the proposed restoration fund. Similarly, gold recovered during anti-galamsey raids could be sold and the revenue used to support environmental rehabilitation initiatives.
Dr. Bansah also recommended that offenders be assigned restoration work as part of their punishment, arguing that those who damage the environment should contribute directly to repairing it.
He maintained that Ghana has sufficient resources from seized assets and recovered illegal mining proceeds to fund reclamation activities without placing additional financial pressure on the state.
The proposal comes amid continued efforts by government, security agencies, and environmental groups to address the devastating impact of illegal mining on Ghana’s natural resources and ecosystems.
