Govt vows to end galamsey in honour of helicopter crash victims
By: Rebecca Okine
The government will proceed with plans to repeal Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves, as part of a renewed crackdown on illegal mining in honour of eight officials killed in last week’s helicopter crash.
In a media interview, Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery, Yussif Sulemana, explained that the initiative, championed by the late Environment Minister Dr Murtala Mohammed Ibrahim, will continue under Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, who is now acting as Environment Minister.
“We are not against mining, but it must be done responsibly. From now on, the policies the government is putting in place must be strictly implemented if we are to win this fight,” Mr Sulemana said.
He described the elimination of illegal mining, or galamsey, as the best tribute to the late minister and the other victims. “
If we can reduce this menace, it will be the best tribute to these heroes because that’s what they died for,” Mr. Sulemana stated.
He outlined a two-pronged strategy to combat illegal mining: removing all miners from forest reserves and targeting those operating on water bodies.
Mr. Sulemana revealed that an upcoming documentary will spotlight the Blue Water Guard initiative, which ejects miners from rivers and dismantles their equipment.
The Chief Executive Officer of the District Road Improvement Programme, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, echoed calls for a decisive offensive against galamsey.
“We should go all out and finish these galamsey people. If they have made this sacrifice for us as a country, we have no excuse not to end galamsey,” he noted.
Mr Vanderpuye argued that continuing the fight in memory of the victims was non-negotiable.
“We can’t lose these fine, hard-working individuals and still allow people to destroy our environment. Let’s put their names together and fight,” he emphasised.
Mr Vanderpuye further urged a ruthless approach to the fight, warning that if galamsey could claim the lives of public servants, the state must equally commit to eliminating the menace.
Businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the crash.
“It’s important to establish the exact cause, not only to give closure to families but to prevent such incidents in the future,” he remarked.
The helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of eight officials on 6 August 2025, occurred in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region. The victims were en route to launch the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme when their aircraft went down in the Dampia Range Forest Reserve.
