Prez. Mahama commends GoldBod for engaging Ghana Armed Forces to reclaim 253 acres of Tano-Nimri Forest

President John Dramani Mahama has commended the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) for awarding the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) a contract to reclaim 253 acres of land destroyed by illegal mining activities in the Tano-Nimri Forest.

The President made the commendation at the 2026 Mining in Motion Forum on Monday, October 19 , 2026 organised by the African Minerals Policy Centre, where he highlighted the intervention as an important step towards addressing the environmental damage caused by illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.

“I also commend the GoldBod. The GoldBod has awarded the Ghana Armed Forces a contract to reclaim 253 acres of land destroyed in the famous Tano Nimri Forest. That work is ongoing,” the President stated.

The reclamation initiative is aimed at restoring degraded portions of the Tano-Nimri Forest, underscoring the need to complement efforts to formalise Ghana’s small-scale gold sector with measures to address the environmental consequences of irresponsible mining.

GoldBod’s engagement of the Ghana Armed Forces for the project also brings institutional capacity to the reclamation effort, although details of the contract’s value, implementation timeline and specific restoration targets would need to be confirmed by the relevant authorities.

The President’s commendation places environmental restoration within the broader national conversation on responsible mineral resource management and the need to ensure that Ghana’s gold wealth contributes to sustainable development.

The Tano-Nimri intervention is expected to draw attention to the importance of rehabilitating degraded forest lands and strengthening the country’s response to the environmental destruction associated with illegal mining.

GoldBod was established to regulate and formalise Ghana’s gold trading framework, particularly within the small-scale mining sector. The reclamation initiative highlights an environmental dimension to the national effort to ensure that the benefits of gold production are not achieved at the expense of the country’s forests and natural resources.