Regional News of 2026-10-14
Asantehene, lands minister move to restore galamsey lands
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, have officially launched the Jimi Land Reclamation and River Watercourse Rehabilitation Project at Tasliman in the Adansi Asokwa District of the Ashanti Region.
The minister assured the Asantehene of his commitment to drive the campaign against environmental degradation following severe damage caused to sections of Ghana's lands.
The flagship pilot project aims to restore 153 hectares of land upstream of the Jimi Dam and rehabilitate the degraded Jimi River watercourse.
This initiative, the Minister noted, ought to be replicated across the country to restore the environment and improve the greening of the country.
The Jimi area suffered severe environmental degradation, stripped vegetation, soil contamination, and toxic sediment runoff due to illegal small-scale gold mining (galamsey), activities which threatened the Jimi Dam — a vital source of drinking water for the Adansi Traditional Area.
The Manhyia Palace has made the project an important pillar in the restoration of the degraded land.
The Ashanti Green Initiative is serving as the project lead and driving community engagement, while AngloGold Ashanti is partnering to deliver technical and operational support through the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, led by Managing Director Samuel Boakye Pobee.
The Government of Ghana, backed by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources led by Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs led by Mahama Ayariga, is playing instrumental roles in that direction.
The launch of the reclamation campaign featured a site inspection of the Jimi Dam, a briefing on the land damage, and symbolic tree-planting exercises led by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, the Minister for Local Government, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and Samuel Boakye Pobee.
