Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has affirmed the critical nature of the moratorium on the issuance of mining licenses in forest reserves.
This, Mr. Jinapor said, is to mitigate the degradation of the country’s land reserves, which is exacerbated to some degree by illicit mining.
He first issued the order after a marathon conference with the Forestry Commission’s Chief Executive Officer and management to commemorate International Day of Forests on March 23.
Mr. Jinapor reminded Ghanaians during the National Planning Committee of the Green Ghana Project’s inauguration in Accra that “in the meantime, the government has directed the Forestry Commission not to grant forest entry permits for mining purposes but in extraordinary circumstances.”
“Collectively and with a firm determination, we must and will be able to enforce legislation regulating small scale mining and eradicating or mitigating its negative environmental impacts,” he said.
The Minister also clarified the reasoning behind the ambitious Green Ghana Project, a nationwide tree planting initiative.
“Through this initiative, we will plant the first five million trees in a single day across our country,” Mr. Jinapor clarified.
On Friday, June 11, the exercise is expected to take effect.
The President, the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice, the Asantehene and Yaa-Naa, are required to plant commemorative trees, as are other notable individuals.
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SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE
