The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor says the support of Chiefs in the country is critical to 80% to 90% success in the fight against illegal mining.
According to the Minister, 80 to 90 percent of lands in the country are customary lands vested in the chiefs therefore their support in preventing illegalities on the land is very crucial.
The Minister made this statement when he paid a courtesy call on the Traditional Authorities at the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs as part of his Two-day tour to the Region on 26th May 2021.
The purpose of the visit, he stated was to give updates on mining, land administration, and forestry and to solicit support and counsel from the Traditional Authorities and other stakeholders to save the country’s land and natural resources from further deteriorating.
Giving the government’s position on mining, Hon. Jinapor clearly stated that the government was not against small-scale mining but rather against illegal mining which was causing major devastation to the nations’ water bodies and forest reserves.
He further cautioned that according to experts, Ghana would have to import water into the country in the nearest future if illegal mining was allowed to persist.
Nene Sakitey II, Konor of Manya Krobo, and the President of Eastern Regional House of Chiefs in his address, also expressed concern on the negative effects of illegal mining and the deplorable state of some river bodies in the region and country in general which has rendered them undrinkable.
He pledged the support of Nananom in the fight to safeguard the environment
In his interaction with the staff of the departments under the ministry, Hon. Jinapor indicated that the government had already taken significant steps to counter illegal mining such as, temporarily banning the issuance of forest entry permits for mining, suspending all activities resulting from the issuance of permits for reconnaissance, prospecting, and exploration, designating forest reserves and water bodies as red zones, the inclusion of Regional Security Councils to the enforcement regime, reforming the licensing and permitting regime and sustaining Operation Halt.
He, therefore, called on them to ensure that these directives were strictly adhered to.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
