Environmentalists and public spirited persons are calling on the government to demonstrate real commitment to Green Ghana by exploring and implementing viable alternatives to extraction of
minerals.

This statement was made in a notice which was released by Eco-Conscious Citizens ahead of Green Ghana Day.

The notice stated that “existing forests must be preserved, if we are serious about climate change and Green Ghana. We cannot with one hand destroy portions of our existing forest reserves and
with the other hand purport to green Ghana.”

According to them, the current monitoring and enforcement regime is weak as they are unable to effectively monitor the few big mining companies Ghana has thus, cannot effectively monitor numerous community mining operatives.

“The unfortunate result is that community mining in many cases is destroying the environment. It is for this reason that activists in Mantukwa, Sefwi Atronsu and Apaitaim, to name a few say No to Community Mining.,” the notice added.

The notice stated that although section 3(2) of Environmental Protection (Mining In Forest Reserves) Regulations 2022 Legislative Instrument ( L.I.) 2462 enables the president to allow mining in a globally significant biodiversity area in the national interest, mining in a globally significant biodiversity area destroys the ecosystem on which living species depend thus, cannot be in the national interest.

“The Lands Minister is reported to have said that small-scale mining fetched Ghana almost US$1.2 billion in 2022. We need to critically examine the cost of community mining and ask ourselves whether our poisoned land and water bodies, rising birth defects and kidney disease, destruction of farms and loss of livelihood of farmers whilst we pay lip service to Farmers Day, food security concerns, increased cost of purifying water and possible importation of water is worth it? Will those with kidney disease or deformities be comforted by the information that small scale mining
allegedly fetched Ghana USD1.2 billion?” the notice stressed.

The notice, however, has admonished the government to seriously explore and implement viable alternatives to extraction for minerals.