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Ghana has more excavators than the rest of Africa combined - Mahama bemoans
Ghana has more excavators than the rest of Africa combined - Mahama bemoans
By: Nii Ammui Fio | 3 mins read
President John Mahama has raised alarm over the rising number of excavators in Ghana, stating that the country now holds more of the machines than the rest of Africa combined.
He made the revelation during the Global Mining Summit held on Monday, June 2, where he announced a new government policy requiring permits for all excavator imports.
“We will track excavators to know whether they are being used for illegal mining. Ghana currently has more excavators than the rest of Africa combined,” President Mahama told delegates at the summit.
“The new permitting regime will not allow you to import any excavator unless you have a valid permit to do so.”
The announcement forms part of a wider government initiative to intensify the fight against illegal mining, a practice that continues to damage the country’s environment despite multiple crackdowns. The latest strategy includes tighter control over the importation, registration, and tracking of heavy-duty equipment, especially excavators.
Earlier this year, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah disclosed that a monitoring system had been rolled out to oversee the movement and use of excavators in the country. This system involves port tagging and digital tracking of the machines in collaboration with key agencies.
According to the minister, excavators have now become Ghana’s third most valuable import item, costing the nation approximately GHC6.2 billion.
As part of enforcement efforts, a joint task force comprising military personnel and Forestry Commission officers has conducted operations in mining hotspots across the Ashanti, Western, and Western North Regions. These actions have led to the seizure of 100 excavators, three bulldozers, and four vehicles used in unauthorized mining operations.
In a related directive, the Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, announced that any excavator not registered with the DVLA by June 1 will be confiscated.
“This exercise will help identify every excavator that enters the country and trace how it is being used. The goal is to ensure we can monitor and hold people accountable,” Mr. Kotey said during a press briefing in Accra.
He warned that after the deadline, DVLA’s operational teams, in partnership with the Ghana Police Service, would begin nationwide enforcement, targeting unregistered excavators at mining and commercial sites.
The directive aligns with Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), which mandates the registration of all motor vehicles and trailers, including heavy-duty equipment. Despite the law, many excavators operating in mining areas remain unregistered, with several linked to illegal activities.
“Excavators in the hands of illegal miners have worsened the destruction of our environment. This is why we must act,” Mr. Kotey stressed.
To tighten oversight, the DVLA, in collaboration with the Minerals Commission, National Security, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has begun tagging all new excavator imports.
Additionally, the Minerals Commission is spearheading a national exercise to tag excavators already in the country. Legal small-scale mining concessions have also been geo-fenced and integrated into the Ghana Mine Repository and Tracking software to enhance monitoring and enforcement.
