By: Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Jimirah Forest Reserve and the Offinso Shelterbelt in the Ashanti Region have reportedly been invaded once more by armed illegal miners, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, has confirmed.
Dr. Amoakohene disclosed that a police team, alongside the regional task force on illegal mining, has been deployed to confront the situation. This latest incursion comes just a month after a joint operation by the Ghana Police Service and the Forestry Commission, which resulted in the seizure of excavators from the Jimirah Forest Reserve.
The minister made the revelation during a working visit to the Bekwai Municipality on September 5, 2025, where illegal mining activities were observed along the road leading to Kokotro.
Addressing the media, Dr. Amoakohene urged citizens to actively participate in the fight against illegal mining by reporting such activities directly to the National Illegal Mining Secretariat.
“We received the same information and immediately dispatched the police team on illegal mining to respond. Usually, when such reports surface in the media first, it becomes difficult to catch the perpetrators because by the time our teams arrive, they are gone. That is why we encourage citizens to call the secretariat directly so we can act swiftly and make arrests,” he said.
Dr. Amoakohene reiterated the government’s determination to eradicate illegal mining from the Ashanti Region and across the country, describing it as a destructive practice that must be eliminated.
