Wassa Amenfi East: Mr Raymond Nana Ebbah, the Wassa Amenfi East Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) in the Western Region, has announced the Assembly's plans to establish a committee to oversee the reclamation of mined out degraded lands to restore them for productive use. His announcement was made following an operation by the Western Regional Anti-Galamsey Task Force to raid illegal mining sites along the Miesie River in the Wassa Amenfi East Municipality.

According to Ghana News Agency, the Task Force's operation involved setting ablaze unoccupied temporary shelters belonging to illegal miners, retrieving seven excavators, and seizing three pump-action guns. Mr Ebbah emphasized the Assembly's commitment to addressing the issue of land degradation caused by illegal mining, which previous administrations had not effectively tackled. He stated, "The Assembly plans to establish a committee to reclaim lands lost to illegal mining. We intend to restore these lands and utilise them productively."

To encourage involvement in the reclamation effort, the MCE announced that the Assembly would incentivise the process by offering rewards to miners who voluntarily participated in regreening the degraded sites. This approach aims to make the reclamation effort appealing to the community and promote active participation.

Brigadier General Musah Whajah (Rtd.), the Western Regional National Security Liaison Officer, who led the task force operation, proposed that arrested illegal miners should be required to restore the lands they degraded as part of their punishment. He highlighted the success of previous land reclamation efforts and stressed the importance of mandating arrested miners to fill in holes and restore degraded lands. "We will inform Assemblies and MMDCEs to establish a monitoring committee to track arrested miners and require them to reclaim the damaged areas within a specified timeframe," he added.