According to Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (MP), illicit mining practices, or “galamsey,” have totally destroyed 44 of the country’s 288 forest reserves. However, in response to this environmental disaster, the Minister is taking a number of actions to put an immediate end to the threat.
The government is stepping up efforts to recapture impacted lands in coordination with the Ghana Armed Forces and the Forestry Commission. This involves sending out security guards to guard forest reserves and stop additional unlawful activity.
To repair degraded lands, a national reforestation campaign has been started. Restoring degraded forest reserves and encouraging sustainable land use are the goals of this initiative.
To enable the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out comprehensive evaluations, the Minister has demanded that all licensing operations be suspended. The goal of this move is to fortify regulatory frameworks and guarantee that mining operations in the future adhere to environmental requirements.
Meanwhile, Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called on Parliamentarians from mining communities to take an active role in the battle against illicit mining.
This entails interacting with the community to encourage community-led monitoring and reporting of illicit activity as well as to increase awareness of the negative impacts of galamsey. Lands and Natural Resources Ministry
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For individuals and groups engaged in illicit mining, the government is dedicated to imposing harsher sanctions. This involves bringing criminal charges against violators to show the government’s dedication to protecting the environment and to discourage such crimes in the future.
These all-encompassing measures should aid in the fight against illicit mining and the restoration of Ghana’s forest reserves. The combined efforts of local communities, government organizations, and other stakeholders are crucial to the success of these programs.
