Over 3,000 excavators remain stranded at Tema Port amid galamsey crackdown

More than 3,000 excavators are currently stranded at the Tema Port as their owners appear unwilling to claim them amid the government’s intensified efforts to combat illegal mining activities through an equipment tracking system.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, disclosed that while thousands of machines remain uncollected, about 2,000 excavators already deployed on mining sites are being monitored in real time to ensure they operate only within licensed concessions.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, July 16, 2026, the minister said the geo-fencing technology has become a major component of the government’s strategy to tackle illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

“We still have over 3,000 excavators waiting for the owners to pick,” he stated.

The equipment tracking initiative was introduced as part of broader measures to regulate the use of earth-moving machinery in the mining sector. It enables authorities to monitor excavators continuously and detect any movement beyond approved mining areas.

According to Mr Buah, the programme began in July 2025, when about 1,200 excavators were impounded at the Tema Port for verification and registration before they could be released.

He explained that the registration process gained momentum in subsequent months, with 1,015 excavators registered nationwide by September 2025, while tracking devices had been installed on 647 machines.

By January 2026, the number of registered excavators had increased to 1,800, with 1,033 fitted with tracking devices.

The minister added that the latest data shows that 4,300 earth-moving and mining equipment have now been registered at the Tema Port, with tracking devices installed on 1,864 of them.

He noted that the tracking system is supported by the Minerals and Mining (Mineral Operations, Tracking of Earth-Moving and Mining Equipment) Regulations, 2020 (L.I. 2404), which mandates the registration of all mining-related equipment and restricts their use to licensed mining areas.

Mr Buah said the initiative is being implemented through collaboration between the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Transport, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), and the Minerals Commission.

However, the minister did not disclose why the owners of the excavators had failed to retrieve them or outline the government’s next course of action should the machines remain unclaimed.

Prince Antwi

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