The Chief of Akyem Essase (Apaapam), Baffour K.S. Sikabede, has urged traditional leaders to reject financial inducements and mining activities that threaten rivers, forests and the future of their communities.
He said chiefs, as custodians of stool lands, have a responsibility to protect natural resources for future generations rather than allow them to be destroyed in exchange for mining royalties.
“To my fellow chiefs, let us set our own house in order first. We must not trade our children’s river for a portion of royalties,” he said.
He described traditional authorities as more than ceremonial leaders, saying they have historically played a key role in protecting Ghana’s environment.
According to him, communities protected rivers, forests and other natural resources through taboos and traditional restrictions long before the introduction of modern environmental laws.
“Certain rivers were treated as living things, old and respected, not as property to be exhausted. We did not call it integral ecology; we called it taboo,” he stated.
He called on the government and relevant agencies to consult and properly resource traditional authorities before granting mining concessions on stool lands, rather than involving them after environmental damage has occurred.
Baffour Sikabede also pledged to prevent illegal mining from taking root in his traditional area.
“No illegal mining operation will find its comfort on the lands of Akyem Essase while I hold this stool,” he declared.
He stressed that protecting the environment is a shared responsibility, warning that the destruction of land, rivers and forests ultimately affects the communities that depend on them.
