The National Anti-Galamsey Army Commander and head of the Ghana Army Combat Training School, Colonel Robert Narh, has urged the government to authorise more aggressive measures to combat illegal mining (galamsey) across the country.

Speaking to journalist Samuel Nana Tawiah during a meeting with small-scale miners in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality of the Central Region, Colonel Narh said the military is prepared to take decisive action, including what he described as potentially adopting a “shoot and kill” approach if illegal miners violently resist operations to halt their activities.

However, he stressed that such actions would require explicit government approval.

“There are already task forces reclaiming destroyed lands, and soon, Ghanaians will regain their water bodies,” he stated, calling on the public to support the national effort to end the galamsey destruction.

Providing a regional update, the Central Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr. Kwesi Dawood, reported significant progress in the fight against illegal mining.

He disclosed that more than 1,000 acres of degraded land have been reclaimed in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality alone.

Mr. Dawood noted that since reclamation efforts began, the number of people involved in illegal mining has sharply dropped, and there have been no recorded cases of water bodies being siphoned for galamsey activities.

He assured that NADMO remains committed to sustaining the momentum to eliminate the menace across the Central Region.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Upper Denkyira East, Mr George Anane, pledged an intensified campaign to eradicate galamsey from the municipality.

He revealed that over 27 residents have died after falling into abandoned mining pits left behind by illegal miners.

Mr. Anane said the ongoing land reclamation exercise will not only prevent such tragic incidents but also restore the land for productive use.

He further promised stricter enforcement, warning that anyone found mining in protected areas—including forests and water bodies—will face arrest and prosecution.

He declared confidently that the municipality is on course to achieve “zero galamsey” by the end of the year.