Accra – September 12, 2025 — The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has distributed 900 water pumping machines, seized from illegal mining (galamsey) sites, to nine regions across the country.
The equipment, handed over under a court order, will be used to boost food production and support the government’s Feed Ghana Programme. Each of the selected regions—Upper East, Upper West, North East, Savannah, Northern, Greater Accra, Volta, Oti, and Bono East—will receive 100 machines.
Purpose and Selection of Regions
Speaking at a ceremony in Amrahia, Accra, the sector minister, Eric Opoku, explained that the distribution followed a directive for the confiscated pumps to be repurposed for agriculture.
He said the regions were carefully chosen to avoid misuse, since they have no recorded galamsey activities.
“We wanted to prevent a situation where, after presenting this equipment, you would find them back on illegal mining sites. Therefore, we carefully selected regions where no galamsey operations are taking place,” Mr. Opoku stressed.
MOFA technical experts inspected the pumps and confirmed they were fit for farming use.
Monitoring and Accountability
Receiving the machines on behalf of the beneficiary regions, Northern Regional Minister John Ali Adolf assured that they would be put to proper use.
“Those machines will be used to help farmers irrigate their crops across the seasons, especially during the dry season. We will not allow them to return to galamsey sites,” he pledged.
He further noted that regional ministers would periodically monitor usage to ensure accountability.
National Impact
The initiative is expected to enhance irrigation, improve crop yields, and contribute significantly to national food security. Mr. Adolf expressed gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama for his commitment to tackling galamsey and redirecting seized resources into productive ventures.
Source – My News Ghana
