By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) in the Eastern region have been given a two-week ultimatum to profile all miners and their Financiers operating within their jurisdictions.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Madam Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, gave the two-weeks ultimatum during a crucial meeting held on Monday, October 6, 2025, in Koforidua, the regional capital.
According to the minister, the directive aims to identify legitimate miners operating in compliance with mining and environmental regulations and to clamp down on those engaged in illegal mining activities, particularly on river bodies and forest reserves.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Mrs Awatey emphasised the government’s resolve to enforce the laws governing mining operations in the region.
“Illegal mining is not just a regional issue; it is a national and environmental problem, and the nation is not taking it kindly at all.
I have charged all municipal and District Chief Executives to go into their communities and profile all mining centres and their owners. Within two weeks, every miner must be known, those with proper licenses and those operating illegally,” she said.
The Regional Minister further directed that all miners operating along water bodies and in forest areas be given a two-week notice to vacate such zones, warning that anyone who defies the directive would face the full rigour of the law.
“We are using the two weeks to profile all the mining centres. To profile all the miners. Yes, we know some miners are even mining in many areas, but they don’t have a licence. Those are the things we are looking for. And as a Regional minister, I believe in these executives that I’m working with. I’m charging them from here; we believe that they are going to make sure the laws on mining are enforced in our municipalities and districts.
We have laws that regulate mining, and we must make sure they are enforced. Water areas and forest reserves are no-go zones, and anyone who ignores this will face prosecution,” she stressed.
Mrs. Awatey commended the participation of party executives, traditional leaders, and local authorities in the meeting, saying their collaboration is crucial in enforcing by-laws and national regulations on mining across the Eastern Region.
“We have our constituency executives, we have our chairman, we have our organisers, and we have our secretaries here. And this is what we are doing in the eastern region to make sure the bylaws and the laws that are governing mining are enforced in our region,” she added.
The profiling exercise, which begins immediately, is expected to inform a comprehensive regional operation against illegal mining after the two-week deadline.
The meeting brought together MDCEs, NDC constituency executives, and other key stakeholders. The meeting was also attended by the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mustapha Gbande.
