The five-year project is an initiative of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), aimed at combating ‘galamsey’ and also sanitizing the artisanal small scale mining in the country.

Dr. Isaac Karikari, the Project Lead, made this known during the Media Coalition Against Galamsey (MCAG) and National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) 6th Town Hall Meeting in Bole in the Northern Region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”noQh2zEkqp0tWMg4GxI4dcnBpvFUrsrF”]Components of MMIP included; the reclamation and dredging of affected rivers, a review of legal framework with regards to the issuing of license, and provision of alternative livelihoods for people engaged in ‘galamsey’ among others, he said.

The MMIP Lead hinted that, government had started signing Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with collaborators, and also entering into Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreements through which the project would be funded.

He explained that the collaborators were companies who had their own money, and were doing something similar to what the Ministry was doing, whilst the PPP were organisations with their own funding, but wanted government to meet them half way by allowing them to mine and use the money to reclaim the land.

Dr. Karikari said doing reclamation was expensive, but assured that the amount would be raised from the gold that would be gotten during the processes leading to the reclamation of the lands.

Dr. Anthony A. Duah, Hydrologist and a Representative of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research of the Water Research Institute in a presentation titled “Effects of Galamsey on the Environment” noted that Ghana’s available water resources were enough compared to its current population.

He said the country’s water resources were however threatened by activities of illegal miners, improper solid and liquid waste disposal, poor land use practices, and sand winning as well as deforestation activities.

Dr. Duah highlighted that, generally, destruction of the environment caused by mining activities had reached alarming proportions, and needed to be controlled to avoid the negative impact of inadequate water supply, poor water quality, loss of aquatic life and loss of recreation.

He said the moratorium placed on small scale mining by the government was good, saying since then, turbidity levels of water bodies had been declining drastically, and urged all to come on board to help stop ‘galamsey’ in the country.

Madam Veronica Alele Heming, Bole District Chief Executive, said ‘galamsey’ was a canker that successive governments tried to overcome without maximum success, and commended the MCAG for stepping up the campaign by the government to end or minimize the practice.

“The effects of ‘galamsey’ are detrimental to our survival as a people. I am therefore appealing to those who genuinely wish to do small scale mining to seek for appropriate licenses so that their mining activities could be rightly monitored to avoid destruction of the environment and the water bodies”, the DCE urged.

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Source: GNA

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The exercise dubbed, Kyebi Reclamation Project, according to the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu, is in two phases, and will be replicated at illegal mining sites across the country.

[contextly_sidebar id=”5UNuo5mbHZskRS5oslUi6d8Z45gwzBrn”]The Kyebi Reclamation Project is a collaboration between the Lands Ministry, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Local Government, as well as other Ministries, constituting the Ministerial Task-force against illegal mining, the Okyehene Foundation, the Rebecca Akufo-Addo Foundation and Richie Foundation.

The government early this year, began a pilot reclamation exercise at some mining sites in Kyebi and the Prestea area in the Eastern and Western Regions respectively.

Data from the Lands Ministry indicates that, an estimated 1.5 percent of the country’s land surface has allegedly been degraded by illegal mining and other bad environmental activities.

This represents between 50,000 and 60,000sq km out of the about 238,000 square kilometers land space of the country.

Speaking at the official launch of the Nationwide Project at Kyebi on Friday, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu, said in Kyebi alone, eighteen sites have been earmarked for the exercise.

He added that, for the implementation of the nationwide project,  his ministry will establish  Reclamation Fund.

“The first estimate that was done from the environment was quite scary; just imagine a minimal 4% of the earth surface is being degraded and it is causing an average of GHc 60,000 per hectare to restore. If you multiply that by the area, it will be taking billions of dollars. The estimate done from the environment was quite realistic, but we cannot as a country accept that, because that is far higher than our GDP as a country, but we cannot say we will sit down and do nothing, so the president has directed that the reclamation will take place.”

He added that “When we finally sanitize the system and allow the small scale miners to start working, we will ask them to put in place some form of reclamation bond, which was discussed earlier, now that work will be negotiated with small-scale miners. We are seeking support from anyone who cares about the environment. A reclamation fund will be launched, we have had some support from the Australian high commission, the Chinese embassy is on board, the Canadian High Commission and a letter came from the DIFID. A lot of institutions are prepared to help address this environmental issue; we are looking for funding from the World Bank too” he noted.

Mr. Amewu said “Currently, there is a framework of joint action between Ghana and Ivory Coast, and the princes of Wale; they are trying to support this course, for a sustainable unit of the environment. We cannot get all the money but we will look all over, to get some money to start something, the government is already constrained in terms of the money involved he reiterated.

Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, the Okyehene and President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, who lauded the initiative commended the Akufo-Addo led government for such a move.

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By: Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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