Integrated land use policy advocated

Accra, Oct 15, GNA- Ms Joyce Rosalind Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, on Friday said it was time the nation had an integrated policy on the use of land to sustain the mining sector. She said there would be mining as long as man existed, but it must be done in a responsible manner to preserve the environment for present and future generations.

"Let's in general choose to use our land resources properly; and our Development Partners, should actively support an integrated plan. Ms Aryee was speaking at a Forum on "Mining and the Ghanaian Environment" for stakeholders, organised by the Ministry of Environment and Science, and the United Nations Development Programme in Accra. The forum, which featured presentation from experts in the environmental sciences, discussed the effects on mining on water, air, forests and human settlements.

Ms Aryee said there were more remediation factors such as bio-degradable materials to recover lands deforested by mining. She called for laws that required adequate compensation for other damages to land and in addition to the loss of vegetation. Professor John Dadson, an Agricultural Economist at the University Of Ghana, said mining contributed 42 per cent of export earnings and 10 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GNP) last year.

He said mining was competing with Agriculture, Forest and Fishing and recommended the strengthening of stakeholder institutions. Prof. Dadson also suggested the need for cross sectoral collaboration in land use and support for research and development on mining.