President has not granted any permit to mine in biodiversity spots - Forestry Commission CEO

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Commission (FC), John Allotey, has clarified that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has not granted any permits for mining activities in Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBA).

This comes amid concerns raised over the impact of illegal mining, also known as galamsey, which has devastated forest reserves, water bodies and cocoa farms, leaving the environment heavily polluted, and posing dire health consequences to citizens.

Some stakeholders have also accused the Forestry Commission of granting licenses to companies to mine in protected areas, further escalating the issue.

However, in an interview with JoyNews on September 14, 2024, John Allotey stated that no license has been granted to any company to mine in these GBSAs.

"The area they mentioned is the one with globally significant biodiversity. This is clear in section 3.2 that it must come with approval in writing by the president. I've not received anything like that. So, I've not issued any permit to anybody to mine in GSBA,” he said.

He further explained that while companies like the Ghana Bauxite Company and Savannah Cement operate in forest reserves, they are non-gold mining companies and have been established for a long time.

“Those are non-gold mining companies in the forest reserve. All the other ones will probably be in one state or the other. But no forest entry permit for mining has been issued,” he added.

Illegal mining, known locally as "galamsey," is causing significant deforestation in Ghana, with seven of the country's 16 regions and 34 forest reserves affected, totalling an area of 4,726 hectares.

The Ghana Forestry Commission has said it is intensifying efforts to combat this issue, including military operations and seeking additional funding.

However, despite revised laws and protective measures, challenges such as weak law enforcement, corruption, and unemployment contribute to ongoing deforestation.

Other factors like agricultural expansion, illegal logging, forest fires, overgrazing, and infrastructure development also play a role in the loss of Ghana's biodiverse tropical forests.

Meanwhile, organised labour, led by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has threatened a nationwide strike by the end of September if the government does not take decisive action against the galamsey (illegal mining) crisis.

ID/AE

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