President John Dramani Mahama has pledged decisive action to tackle illegal mining, or ‘Galamsey,’ which has devastated Ghana’s forests and polluted vital water sources.
“Illegal mining has inflicted tremendous harm on our forests, leading to significant land degradation and the pollution of vital water sources,” Mahama said during his State of the Nation Address to Parliament.
He revealed that “44 of the country’s 288 forest reserves have been impacted—an area equivalent to approximately 7,504 football pitches.”
The president outlined a multi-faceted strategy to curb the menace, including “robust and impartial law enforcement, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and the creation of alternative livelihood programs.”
To enhance regulatory oversight, his government will expand the Minerals Commission’s regional offices and establish a framework to categorise mining into small, medium, and large-scale operations, each governed by tailored regulations.
Mahama also announced an ambitious afforestation programme, which aims to establish “20,000 hectares of new plantations and undertake 5,000 hectares of enrichment planting annually.” The government will launch public sensitisation campaigns to promote sustainable forest management and enforce the Wildlife Resources Management Act.
As part of the environmental recovery efforts, the government will implement the ‘Tree for Life’ restoration policy and the ‘Blue Water Initiative’ to rehabilitate mined-out lands.
“These initiatives will transform degraded areas into ecological recovery zones,” Mahama assured.
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