The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) has challenged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s statement at the UNFCCC COP 29 in Baku, that Ghana has restored 721,000 hectares of forest since 2017, has sparked intense scrutiny.
According to GCAG, this claim starkly contrasts with the government’s record of inaction and culpability in the face of escalating illegal and irresponsible mining activities across the country.
“While we were supposedly planting trees, we simultaneously and actively pursued policies and legislation that facilitated the destruction of natural forests,” GCAG said in a statement.
“This period has also seen an unprecedented wave of mining leases that risk converting production and protected forests into sprawling mine pits.”
The GCAG highlights Ghana’s contradictory actions in 2022, where the country joined the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership, committing to protect forests and communities, yet passed Regulation LL 2462, opening protected forests to mining activities.
The consequences of these actions are dire. Over 48,000 hectares of gazetted forest reserves are earmarked for conversion to mining areas, with 4,800 hectares already destroyed. The Ghana Cocoa Board reports that over 68% of cocoa farmlands in the Ashanti Region, 81% in the Eastern Region, and 74% in the Western Region have been severely affected by illegal mining.
The GCAG demands answers from President Akufo-Addo, questioning what happened to his promises to combat galamsey and protect the environment.
“Under your watch, Ghana has endured one of the most environmental outstandingly bad and shocking destructions in its history,” the statement reads.
“Our forests are razed, our rivers poisoned, our farmlands degraded, all at the hands of illegal and irresponsible mining which you have failed to decisively address.”
The coalition urges the president to take immediate action to address the galamsey menace and protect Ghana’s natural heritage.
“The clock is ticking,” the statement added.
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