Also known as: Ghana Forestry Commission · Forestry Services Commission · Forest Service · Kakum Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission — government agency conducting operations against illegal mining in forest reserves, arresting suspected miners and destroying equipment used in galamsey activities.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Forestry Commission
Every mention in the Ghanaian press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Joy Online
… The event brought together traditional authorities, the Forestry Commission, departmental heads, women’s processing groups, and local farmers, all of whom committed to nurturing the newly planted shea parklands to maturity.
16,000 shea seedlings planted at Pavuu in Upper West region to restore degraded landscapesJoy Online
… The CEO said the Board was already collaborating with the Forestry Commission and Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces to achieve that objective. …
Ghana explores traceability technology to track mined gold sourcesThe Chronicle
… The President said the decision followed the failure of the previous system, under which cleared reserves were handed back to the Forestry Commission. …
Editorial: New Strategy To Prevent Illegal Miners From Returning To Forest Reserves LaudableJoy Online
… President Mahama explained that the decision followed the failure of the previous approach, under which cleared forest reserves were handed back to the Forestry Commission. …
Mahama announces new strategy to keep galamseyers out of reclaimed forest reservesJoy Online
… The policy engagement, held in Accra, brought together officials of the Ministry and representatives of agencies under it, including the Minerals Commission, Forestry Commission, Lands Commission and Ghana Geological Survey Authority. …
Lands Minister backs calls for strategic investor to revive VALCOJoy Online
… According to the minister, some of the affected areas had become difficult for Forestry Commission officials to access because of the activities of illegal miners, including the reported presence of weapons and incidents of violence. …
Galamsey: ‘Challenge is prosecution, not arrest’ — Lands MinisterJoy Online
… Mr Buah said nine forest reserves were among the worst affected by illegal mining, with some areas becoming increasingly difficult for Forestry Commission officials to access because of attacks, violence and the presence of weapons. …
8,900 hectares of forest reserves destroyed by galamsey – Armah-Kofi BuahDaily Guide
… The company also failed to secure Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and Forestry Commission approvals before working in assigned areas, in breach of Section 18 of Act 703. …
Adamus Lease Revocation: Apply Same Rules For Galamsey, Big Mines – Retired MinerJoy Online
… Regulatory Oversight and Compliance Betterland Ghana Limited noted that its operations are supervised daily by officials of the Forestry Commission, ensuring strict adherence to environmental and forestry laws. …
We are not mining in Draw River Forest Reserve – Betterland Ghana LimitedJoy Online
… He recalled that at the beginning of 2025, several forest reserves had been classified as “red zones” by the Forestry Commission because armed illegal miners had taken control of the areas. …
Galamsey is taking back our forests – Erastus Asare Donkor warns gains are being lostThe Minerals Income Investment Fund and Forestry Commission have launched a reforestation programme at Subri River National Forest Reserve in the Western Region, targeting 30,000 trees over five years to restore 50 acres of degraded forest and promote biodiversity conservation.
2 November 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
The Minerals Income Investment Fund and Forestry Commission have launched a reforestation programme at Subri River National Forest Reserve in the Western Region, targeting 30,000 trees over five years to restore 50 acres of degraded forest and promote biodiversity conservation.
2 November 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
The Minerals Income Investment Fund, in partnership with the Forestry Commission and supported by Zijin Golden Ridge Ghana, has commissioned a five-year project to restore 50 hectares of degraded forest at the Subri River Forest Reserve in Sekyere Krobo, Western Region, as part of its Environmental, Social and Governance Biodiversity Reforestation Project.
31 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Executive Director of EcoConscious Citizens has raised concerns that the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and other anti-galamsey task forces lack adequate equipment and logistical support to effectively fight illegal mining, noting that forestry guards lack bulletproof vests despite threats from armed illegal miners.
31 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Forestry Commission plans to establish armed security camps at illegal mining hotspots in the Subri River Forest Reserve in the Western Region to prevent miners from returning to cleared areas. The strategy will combine armed rapid-response teams of about 13 officers, surveillance technology including CCTV and Starlink connectivity, and stronger collaboration among state security agencies.
28 October 2026 · Joy Online →
A police investigator testified in the trial of former NPP regional chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako and Akonta Mining Company Limited over alleged illegal mining in Tano Nnimire Forest, defending his investigation methods including witness interviews, site visits, drone surveillance, and document review.
27 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat has launched Operation Green Shield, a military-backed operation in the Atewa Forest Reserve that resulted in three arrests on October 27, 2026. The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources warned that illegal mining has affected 44 of Ghana's 288 forest reserves, destroying approximately 8,900 hectares of forest land.
27 October 2026 · Joy Online →
An opinion feature explores whether Ghana's environmental restoration initiatives—from degraded mining landscapes to threatened mangroves—address the immediate livelihood needs of communities dependent on the land, questioning who will maintain efforts after donors leave and how quickly land damaged by activities like galamsey can become farmable again.
26 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Samartex Timber and Plywood Company says illegal mining is disrupting its timber harvest, water production, and a multi-million cedi ecotourism project in Wassa Amenfi West Municipality, where the company employs over 2,000 people. The miners are destroying commercially valued tree species in the company's concessions before harvest teams can reach them.
23 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat plans to extend its river protection operations to two more major water bodies by the end of 2026. Operation Water Shield on the River Birim and Ankobra will be complemented by Operation Green Shield targeting illegal mining in the Atiwa Forest Reserve, supported by sustained patrols and a planned dedicated riverine unit with the Ghana Navy.
23 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat reports seizing over 100 excavators and 551 water pumps, and destroying approximately 1,970 chanfang machines between June 13 and September 30 this year. The article emphasizes that lasting success must be measured by whether rivers become cleaner, forest reserves remain protected, and communities can safely depend on natural resources rather than by machines seized or arrests made.
23 October 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
The National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat plans Operation Greenshield, a forest protection intervention beginning at Atiwa Forest Reserve, to combat illegal mining through clearing affected areas, securing them against renewed encroachment, and handing responsibility to state agencies for long-term protection.
22 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Forestry Commission conducted a surprise operation at Subri Forest Reserve in Wassa East District and arrested 20 suspected illegal miners, destroying structures used for illegal mining. The suspects were handed over to the Regional Police Command.
22 October 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
Ghana's Environment Minister says mining companies must ensure host communities benefit from natural resources and avoid leaving them with poverty and degradation when mines close, extending responsibility beyond extraction to include land reclamation and livelihood improvement.
22 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Reverend Abugbilla Bukari has returned as headmaster to Bawku Senior High School, where he planted trees as a student in 1992 under the school's first deliberate woodlot effort. The school received a national tree-planting award that year, and in 2024 Bukari led a new planting of 480 Acacia trees with a 94 per cent survival rate.
21 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Forestry Commission destroyed 1,103 Changfan dredging machines and 1,420 pumping machines in operations against illegal miners in seven Western Region forest reserves between January and September 2026, also arresting 159 suspected illegal miners. The destruction of changfan machines alone was estimated to cost operators about GH¢28 million.
20 October 2026 · The Chronicle →
President Mahama announced that soldiers will remain stationed in nine forest reserves cleared of illegal mining to prevent operators from returning, following previous experiences where illegal miners resumed activity after military personnel withdrew.
18 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Gold Board is investing approximately GH¢35 million in a reclamation and reforestation project to restore forest land destroyed by illegal mining at the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve in the Western Region, with the initiative initially covering 50 hectares and plans to rehabilitate about 200 hectares of degraded land.
16 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana's Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources has urged operators under the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) to reserve part of their earnings for land reclamation to restore degraded mining sites. Deputy Minister Dr Yusif Sulemana said the cooperatives must adopt reclamation measures similar to those required of large-scale mining companies.
15 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Ten Ghanaian public and private institutions are accessing a GH¢7 million grant from Lakehead University in Canada to strengthen technical expertise in environmental degradation, forest value chain management, and sustainable natural resource management over five years. The partnership will train 36 Ghanaians in wood science, remote sensing, ecological remediation, and forestry.
15 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Environmental Protection Authority has warned public institutions including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and Ghana Gold Board that government backing does not exempt reclamation projects from environmental permitting requirements, and that unpermitted projects must stop immediately and report for regulatory assessment.
14 October 2026 · Joy Online →
President Mahama says the government is addressing economic challenges that push young people into galamsey, with the New Economy Agenda expected to create job opportunities as an alternative. He noted that enforcement alone is insufficient, citing cases of Senior High School students turning to illegal mining due to financial hardship, and emphasized the need to combine law enforcement with alternative income sources.
14 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Gold Board and Ghana Armed Forces Engineer Regiment are partnering on a GH¢35 million project to reclaim 60 hectares of the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve damaged by illegal mining, involving soil stabilization, pit-filling, and drainage work to support future vegetation growth.
14 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Gold Board is committing GH¢35 million to reclaim 60 hectares of the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve damaged by illegal mining, with military engineers filling pits, stabilizing soil and reshaping terrain to prepare the site for reforestation.
14 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Gold Board is targeting reclamation of 150 hectares of degraded forest land in 2027 as part of efforts to restore areas damaged by illegal mining, with reclamation works on 80 hectares already begun this year in partnership with the Ghana Armed Forces and the Forestry Commission.
14 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Gold Board has stressed that the country's gold export earnings must not come at the expense of forests, and says it is working with the Ghana Armed Forces and Forestry Commission to reclaim degraded forest reserves—with 80 hectares of reclamation work underway this year and plans to extend to 150 hectares across 30 reserves in 2027.
14 October 2026 · Joy Online →
President Mahama has urged traditional authorities to intensify support for the government's fight against illegal mining, noting that community resistance and lack of alternative livelihoods undermine efforts. He said enforcement operations must be accompanied by job-creation policies and stronger community cooperation with anti-illegal mining authorities.
14 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Zijin Golden Ridge Limited, operator of the Akyem Gold Mine, has reaffirmed its commitment to Ghana's economic growth and investment agenda through a partnership with the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority to support the 2026 Invest Ghana Summit and Ghana Club 100 Awards.
9 October 2026 · The Chronicle →
Three men suspected of illegally mining in the Tano-Boin Forest Reserve were arrested by the Jema Anti-Galamsey Advocacy Watch Committee on October 2, 2026, after being found operating along the Tano River with a water-pumping machine and mining raft. They were remanded for one week at Assankragwa Magistrate Court.
8 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The FAO called for stronger policy, institutional and technical systems across Africa to help countries access climate finance under the REDD+ programme. The call was made at a South-South Workshop held in Ghana, attended by representatives from Benin, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone to share experiences and strengthen readiness for results-based climate finance.
7 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Acting Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission argues that tourism provides Ghana a more sustainable economic opportunity than cocoa and gold, while preserving natural resources for future generations. He urged Ghanaians and the diaspora to patronise local tourist attractions and promote Ghana's reserves internationally.
7 October 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →