Government Outlines Major Push to Protect Lands, Forests and Water Resources
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has delivered a candid sector briefing outlining the scale of environmental degradation facing the country and the measures underway to reverse it.The briefing followed a working visit by the Vice President, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman to the Ministry on Tuesday, led by Minister Armah Kofi Buah.
The Minister reported that by early 2025, 41 of the nation’s 228 forest reserves had been encroached upon by illegal mining activities, with the Ashanti, Western and Western North regions the most heavily affected. The resulting environmental damage has been severe, including dangerously high turbidity levels in major water bodies that forced some treatment plants to shut down.
According to the Ministry, Government has mounted a coordinated national response. In March 2025, the Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative was launched with a target of planting 30 million trees across the country to restore degraded lands and forests. Joint security and Forestry Commission operations have also reclaimed nine “red zone” forest reserves previously controlled by heavily armed illegal miners. More than 1,000 excavators have been seized, and unregistered machines are being decommissioned alongside ongoing land reclamation efforts.
Ghana has meanwhile made a significant international achievement. On 15th August, 2025, the country formally launched its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing system, becoming the first African nation and only the second worldwide authorized to issue licenses verifying legal timber exports to the European Union.
The Ministry also reported accelerated reforms within the Lands Commission. Government is decentralizing the Commission to district levels to improve public access, reduce delays and tackle corruption.
A committee has been established to review all public land allocations, and major digitization efforts are underway to automate land administration services. Several fraudulently acquired licenses have already been revoked as part of a broader tightening of regulatory oversight.
On water protection, officials highlighted the deployment of more than 1,600 trained water guards under the Blue Water Initiative. Their mandate is to protect rivers and other water bodies from illegal mining and related threats. This enforcement effort is supported by enhanced coordination with institutions including the Ghana Geological Survey Authority and the Attorney-General’s Department.
The Vice President expressed appreciation for the Ministry’s transparency and the progress made, stressing that environmental protection is both a moral duty and an existential priority. Officials emphasized that land and water degradation threatens livelihoods, food security and public health, urging agencies to deepen community education and strengthen enforcement.
