President John Dramani Mahama has directed that no government appointee should engage in any form of legal or illegal mining. 

"If you want to be a miner, leave the government and be a miner, you can't be in government and be a miner at the same time," President Mahama declared.

He said the government’s commitment to afforestation must be accompanied by strict environmental law enforcement, adding, “This is why under my administration, we would sustain the fight against illegal mining or galamsey.”

President Mahama was speaking at the launch of the "Tree For Life Reforestation Initiative" at the Kufuor Park at Nkawie in the Ashanti Region last Friday.

The project, one of two initiatives the government is relying on to fight the canker of illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’, seeks to embark on transformational landscape restoration efforts.

It will heal and harness the environment by turning areas heavily degraded by illegal mining and other drivers of deforestation and forest degradation into ecologically functional landscapes.

The Tree For Life Reforestation Initiative aims at promoting sustainable forest management, conservation and reforestation to address the issues of biodiversity loss, pollution of water bodies, climate change and environmental degradation which pose existential threats to the country.

The launch was attended by government officials, traditional leaders, students and the people of Nkawie in the Atwima Nwabiagya South District in the Ashanti Region.

Among the dignitaries were the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, and the Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Dr Abebe Haile-Gabriel.

The occasion coincided with this year's International Day of Forest (1D1F), which is observed on March 21 every year.
President Mahama planted a commemorative tree to launch the Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative at Nkawie in the Ashanti Region.

Government commitment

The President said along with the fight against illegal mining, the government would do the difficult thing of reclaiming degraded lands, hence the Tree for Life Initiative.

President John Dramani Mahama (with watering can) planting the commemorative tree to launch the Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative at Nkawie in the Ashanti Region. Picture: EMMANUEL BAAH

President Mahama stated that a pilot project undertaken by a private group had successfully retrieved 16 hectares (39.53 acres) of land, adding that the intention was to scale that up to 500 acres or 202.343 hectares of reclaimed lands in a year.

The Tree For Life Reforestation Initiative, President Mahama said, aligned with national and international commitments which complemented the government's Blue Water Initiative.

Update

He said regulatory and security agencies had also intensified their operations against illegal mining activities.

"In the past two weeks, the government has made significant progress. Seven out of the nine no-go zones have been reclaimed. We are on course to reclaim the remaining two of the no-go zones,” he said.

In addition, he said, "85 excavators, three bulldozers, three pick-up vehicles, four pump action rifles and 11 motorbikes have been seized from galamsey operations.”

President Mahama said 71 persons who were caught engaging in illegal mining in forest reserves had been arrested to face the full rigours of the law.

The President added that the Minister of Environment Science and Technology had also laid LI 2462 before Parliament to mature in 21 days to bar any person, including the President, from authorising mining in forest reserves.

Details

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources who provided the details of the initiative said it came in two components – Education, awareness and sensitisation campaign, as well as Reforestation and Afforestation.

"This involves massive education and awareness outreach on the importance of trees and the need to plant and preserve them.

The approach will include community durbars, consultation with chiefs and traditional leaders, radio and television programmes, events for schoolchildren, churches and professional bodies, production of flyers and posters,” Mr Buah stated.

He said the second component, Reforestation and Afforestation, would involve active tree planting during the rainy season.

Mr Buah said five million tree seedlings of various species would be distributed for incorporation into farmlands (agroforestry).

He said 1,000 casual workers from forest fringe communities would be engaged to undertake enrichment planting of 4,000 hectares of forest reserves.

The government would also establish 10,000 hectares of forest plantation under the Modified Taungya System (MTS).

“Under this intervention, farmers will be given degraded forest reserve lands to plant their food crops and at the same time plant various timber tree species on the same land with the support of the Forestry Commission,” the Lands and Natural Resources Minister explained.

The government would facilitate the establishment of 7,500 hectares of commercial timber plantations by the private sector on degraded forest lands, the community woodlots project for fuelwood, the planting and restoration of mangrove forests and in wetlands and coastal areas.

Mr Buah added that reclamation and revegetation of 500 hectares of degraded mined-out areas would be undertaken while trees would be planted along water bodies to prevent erosion and siltation.

Other initiatives include the Blue Water Initiative, One-child-One-Tree and the One-Student-One Tree initiatives meant to introduce children to conservation.