34 Forest Reserves Under Threat Due To ‘Galamsey’ – Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission has disclosed that several of Ghana’s forest reserves are seriously threatened due to illegal mining activities known as ‘galamsey’.
The commission has indicated that about 34 out of 288 forest reserves in the country are currently under threat over ‘galamsey’.
It comes at a time when the government’s fight against the menace has been questioned following a report put together by the former chairman of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, accusing government officials of engaging in the menace.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s report raised concerns over permits given to mine in some forest reserves and buffers.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey, speaking at a press conference on Ghana’s forest reserves on May 2, 2023, said the devastation in the affected reserves was dire.
“34 out of 288 reserves have been affected. These are areas we have significant illegal mining. The total area mapped is about 4,726.2 hectares. This is only the size of the surface. Some of this impact is fully on the whole. And they excavate lots of materials that will impact the forest. It’s not only the size but the impact on our water bodies and the depth of the holes created. A lot more would have to be done to reclaim the land,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, said the government’s fight against illegal mining should not be judged based on portions of the report.
“I found the work of the IMICM valuable, and I am working with my team to factor into the things we are doing today. There are things about the work I may not adopt today for many reasons because the terrain may have changed, and so on and so forth. The report doesn’t capture my stewardship till today. I have heard people say that the report shows that the government has failed, that I have failed, the report didn’t capture my tenure. The report cannot be sacrosanct. What is important is that we remain focused,” he said.