A comprehensive project aimed at reclaiming and restoring mined-lands at Nkroful in the Western Region have been rolled out by the government.
It is being sponsored by Zijin Golden Ridge Limited / Zijin Ghana, a large-scale mining company operating at Akyem, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts through an initiative spearheaded by the Minister of Land and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.
Under the project, thousands of cassia and teak seedlings are expected to be planted across the reclaimed land in an effort to restore the ecological health of the area and gradually return the land to productive use.
The Nkroful project follows a similar exercise already underway at Nyankumase in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region, where extensive tree planting activities have commenced on abandoned mining lands.
Speaking to journalists after a brief ceremony to officially commence the reclamation works at Nkroful yesterday, Mr Buah, said government remains committed to protecting the country’s lands, forests and water bodies from further destruction.
According to him, the increasing destruction caused by illegal mining had made environmental restoration a major national priority that required urgent and sustained intervention.
He noted that the administration of President John Dramani Mahama was determined to reverse the damage caused by years of irresponsible mining activities, especially in forest reserves and farming communities.
Mr Buah explained that initiatives such as the Tree for Life and Blue Water programmes were central to government’s environmental sustainability agenda, adding that the interventions were intended to promote reforestation, restore polluted water bodies and encourage responsible land use practices in mining-prone areas.
The Minister stressed that reclaiming abandoned mining pits had become necessary due to the dangerous environmental and health risks such sites pose to nearby communities.
He added that many of the degraded lands, once restored, could be converted into productive agricultural lands, forest plantations and other development-oriented projects capable of benefiting local residents.
Mr Buah maintained that the ongoing reclamation projects formed part of broader measures being rolled out by the government to tackle galamsey while ensuring affected lands are not left permanently destroyed.
He assured that more degraded lands across the country would soon be reclaimed under similar programmes as government intensifies efforts to restore the environment.
FROM TIMES REPORTER, NKROFUL
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