The ongoing national debate over illegal mining and the government’s effort to curb the menace has sparked one pressing question about the 200 drones reportedly purchased to combat galamsey operations by erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration.
The drones, acquired in 2018 at a staggering cost of $3 million by then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John-Peter Amewu, were intended to track and halt illegal mining activities across the country.
However, the current administration under President John Dramani Mahama has been unable to trace the whereabouts of these surveillance drones.
According to THE ARCHIVES sources, multiple efforts by the current Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and his team to locate the drones which would have reinforced the work of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) — have proven futile.
To date, neither the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, nor the Ministry of National Security can confirm the location, usage, or even the exact number of drones procured.
Within government circles, there appears to be widespread confusion, with no clear records indicating who procured the drones or how they were distributed.
Sources claim that documentation relating to the purchase was allegedly classified under national security protocols — further deepening the mystery.
A Special Assistant to the Lands Minister, Shadrach Offome Quaicoe, who has been vocal in demanding answers, told THE ARCHIVES in a Facebook comment, “The drones can’t be found, bro.”
Settings In 2018?
In July 2018, the then Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Charles Bissue, confirmed that the drones had arrived in Ghana.
“The drones have arrived in the country to support the president’s position that we have to do mining responsibly,” Bissue stated in media interviews. “Each district will have one, and the regional coordinating councils will have one, so they can monitor the district mining committees. There is going to be a monitoring center at the Office of the President too.”
Although images of the supposed monitoring center were circulated, showing only three drones, no photographic or official evidence ever surfaced to confirm the arrival of the full fleet.
This raised suspicions about whether the drones were ever deployed — or even existed in the numbers claimed.
National Security in the Dark
In September 2024, The Fourth Estate published a similar investigative report on the missing drones.
According to the report, a senior official at the Ministry of National Security, speaking off the record, denied any knowledge of the drones’ procurement or deployment.
“Between the two of us, the total number of drones acquired by the Inter-Ministerial Committee — I don’t know. And nobody within the Ministry of National Security would know,” the source reportedly said.
“National Security would never do that. We were not part of the procurement. We wouldn’t know the dates the drones arrived in the country. The locations they were deployed to — we wouldn’t know. The total cost — we don’t know.”
The Fourth Estate further revealed that, for nearly two years — from October 2022 to May 2024 — attempts to obtain official responses from three ministries and the Office of the President yielded no results.
Lingering Questions
The missing $3 million drone fleet raises serious questions about accountability, transparency, and the previous government’s commitment to fighting illegal mining.
With no concrete answers from either the previous Akufo-Addo administration or the current government, public trust continues to erode.
Ghanaians are left wondering: Where are the drones? Were they ever deployed? Who approved the procurement? Why are there no records?
As the illegal mining menace escalates, the absence of these drones — once touted as a major tool in the fight, casts a long shadow over previous efforts. Until answers are provided, the mystery remains: Where are the drones?
