The fight against illegal mining, locally known as galamsey, in Ghana has been significantly bolstered with the official inauguration of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS). On Thursday, June 26, 2025, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, outdoored NAIMOS as the new, intelligence-led central authority tasked with initiating, coordinating, and supervising all anti-illegal mining operations across the country's sixteen regions.

The establishment of NAIMOS addresses a critical need for a harmonized and centralized approach to combat galamsey, which has severely impacted Ghana's land reserves, with an alarming 16% already degraded. Minister Buah emphasized that NAIMOS is the sole mandated outfit with exclusive jurisdiction over these operations, ensuring a unified front against environmental degradation. The Secretariat's mandate is comprehensive, including coordinating state security forces and agencies, developing tactical field strategies, enforcing mining and environmental laws, engaging with traditional leaders and communities for broader solutions, and liaising with the National Security Secretariat for overall synergy. A key aspect of NAIMOS's operational integrity is its reliance on credible data to inform actions, preventing discretionary or uninformed decisions.

During the inauguration ceremony, strong pledges of support were made by key government officials. Minister Buah reiterated the government’s unwavering resolve to eradicate the menace, vowing to support NAIMOS's activities "without fear or favour" in line with the aspirations of the Ghanaian people to restore the environment to its pristine nature. The Minister of Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, also assured his full support for the Secretariat. Representing the Defence Ministry, Deputy Minister Ernest Brogya Genfi reaffirmed the military's crucial role as a vital partner in NAIMOS-led operations, especially in reclaiming degraded forests and polluted water bodies. This initiative, he noted, has the endorsement of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, President John Dramani Mahama, underscoring the high-level commitment to its success.

Even prior to its formal launch, NAIMOS-coordinated operations have demonstrated impressive results. Successful raids have been conducted across the Eastern, Ashanti, Western, Central, and Western North regions of Ghana. These operations have led to significant seizures, including over 50 excavators, three bulldozers, a van, generators, and various unapproved mining equipment and logistics. Furthermore, numerous arrests of illegal miners, including foreign nationals, have been recorded. With this strong foundation and the continued backing from all relevant security agencies and allied partners, NAIMOS is poised to intensify its efforts to dismantle illegal mining networks, enforce sustainable mining practices, and ultimately sanitize the environment. The ceremony brought together a united front of agency heads, security commanders, and traditional leaders, all committed to safeguarding Ghana's natural resources.