The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has taken delivery of hundreds of water pumps confiscated from illegal mining sites to aid farmers in irrigation and enhance food production, particularly in Ghana’s northern regions.
This initiative, according to the Director of Communications at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ama Mawusi Mawunyefia, forms part of the government’s broader strategy to ensure that resources seized during anti-galamsey operations are repurposed for national development rather than left to deteriorate.
Speaking on GTV’s Current Agenda show on Saturday, October 25, 2025, Madam Mawunyefia revealed that over 900 water pumps retrieved by the National Anti-Illegal Mining Taskforce (NAIMOS) have already been handed over to MoFA for onward distribution to farmers across the country.
“There are still a few more pumps being collected at the NAIMOS office. Once we have a good number again, we will share them with the Ministry of Agriculture for distribution to farmers,” she stated.
She explained that only equipment that poses environmental dangers—such as chanfan machines and heavy-duty mining tools—is destroyed. However, devices with productive potential, like pumps and generators, are recycled to support programmes such as irrigation farming and responsible community mining.
Madam Mawunyefia further disclosed that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is also rolling out the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme, designed to help local miners organize into cooperatives and receive technical training for safe and sustainable mining practices.
“We believe that materials recovered from illegal mining sites can be channeled to support positive economic activities such as farming and community mining. That is how we make the fight against galamsey not just punitive, but productive,” she emphasized.
She reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to transparency and accountability, noting that regular updates on arrests, recoveries, and progress in the fight against illegal mining are made available to the public.
The repurposing of seized mining equipment marks a practical step in transforming Ghana’s anti-galamsey campaign into a vehicle for agricultural resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
