Govt will not ‘needlessly’ compromise Atewa Forest – Minister

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor says the government will not needlessly compromise the integrity of the Atewa Forest but rather exploit it for the ultimate benefit of the Ghanaian people.

“Government and GIADEC [ Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation ] continue to be fully committed to the preservation of the Atewa Forest and ensure that the exploitation of the bauxite in Atewa is in the ultimate interest of the Ghanaian people and is in the public interest. They are also working to ensure that the integrity of the forest is preserved,” the Minister said.

He was speaking in an interview with Aljazeera on Sunday [April 24, 2022].

The Minister said GIADEC has Atewa Forest as one of the key projects being relentlessly pursued by the government together with Awaso, Nyinahin – Mpasaaso, Kyebi and Valco projects, all in efforts to build an integrated iron and aluminum industry.

Mr Jinapor added “the government is therefore putting in place measures to ensure that particularly, bauxite and iron ore are built with the full value chain retained here in Ghana and we have created bureaucracies here like the GIADEC and GISDEC which are going to be responsible for building the full value chain of this bauxite and iron ore”

The Minister explained that the thin line between mining the bauxite and preserving the environment is striking a delicate balance to ensure that the country’s industrialisation drive continues because these minerals he opined are the starting point for industrial development and prosperity of the country.

“We cannot progress and unleash the prosperity our people so dearly need without industrialisation and we cannot industrialise without building these integrated bauxite and iron industries”.

The Minister maintained that the government is also ensuring that the bauxite in Atewa is exploited in a manner that does not unreasonably compromise the ecological integrity of the forest.

Touching on the production of gold, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources indicated that government intends to keep Ghana’s position as the leading producer of Gold and the 6th on the world scale and even do more.

He added that the President of the Republic has plans of changing the equation of Ghana being a major resource-rich country that only produces raw materials to a country that builds and retains the full value chain of its Minerals.

“The government is therefore making efforts to ensure that refineries in Ghana acquire the London Bullion Market Association Certification (LBMA) and become fit for purpose to participate in the global refinery industry.”