President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned appointees of his government not to engage in any form of mining or risk being shown the exit.
“I have directed that no government appointee at any level should engage in any form of legal or illegal mining.
If you want to be a miner, leave government and go and be a miner,” he said at the launch of a land restoration initiative at Nkawie in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality.
He said no appointee could be a miner and be in his government at the same time, drawing a thunderous applause from the gathering in appreciation of his firm stance on illegal mining.
For emphasis, the President reiterated that, any appointee found violating the directive would face swift and severe sanction including removal from office.
The project dubbed, ‘Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative’, which seeks to restore Ghana’s degraded lands, is one of the President’s 120-day social contracts with Ghanaians.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is implementing the initiative, which forms part of the Ministry’s transformational landscape restoration efforts to heal and harness the environment.
It would largely focus on areas which have been heavily degraded by illegal mining and other drivers of deforestation.
President Mahama said he had also instructed security and regulatory agencies to intensify their operations against illegal mining.
He said seven out of nine “no go zone” forest reserves, which were under siege by illegal miners had been successfully reclaimed and that the relevant authorities were on course to reclaim the remaining two.
As part of the operations, 55 excavators, three bulldozers, three pickups, four pump action rifles and eleven motorbikes have been seized, the President disclosed.
He said the Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative was a historic step towards environmental protection, adding that the government was committed to reclaiming degraded lands.
Illegal mining, he noted, had become a national crisis, threatening the economy, health and the way of life of Ghanaians.
“Farmers are losing their farmlands, rivers are turning brown and toxic with pollution and the entire communities are being affected,” the President lamented.
Mr. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, said Ghana’s forest cover had been depleting at an alarming rate, threatening the very foundation of the ecosystem.
He said the initiative comes at a time when there was an urgent need to address ecological challenges such as illegal mining, deforestation and climate change.
“This initiative envisions transforming heavily degraded areas into functional and vibrant ecosystems that supports biodiversity and human livelihoods,” the Minister stated.
He said the initiative also sought to raise environmental awareness about the importance of tree planting and enhancing biodiversity through ecosystem restoration.
GNA