The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Mr John M. Allotey, has disclosed that the Ghana Armed Forces have trained 964 Field Officers at the Asutuare Military Training Camp as part of efforts to fight illegal mining.
“Also, 1000 pump action guns have been procured, 13 Rapid Response Teams inaugurated and operational and 30 Forestry Commission managers trained as prosecutors,” he added.
Mr Allotey made this known during a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday.
He also outlined some of the strategies the Commission was employing to deal with illegal activities in the country’s forest reserves.
“We conduct stakeholder engagement, sensitization and education, continuous surveillance and monitoring, law enforcement and restoration,” he noted
Mr Allotey pointed out that 34 major forest reserves in the country have been significantly affected by illegal small-scale mining also known as galamsey.
He said a total of 4,726.2 hectares of forests have been impacted due to the mining illegalities carried out in those reserves.
He stated, “Seven out of the sixteen regions have been experiencing some form of illegal mining. Out of this, thirty-four reserves have been affected. These are areas where you have significant illegal mining.
The total area that has been mapped is about 4,722 hectares of forest lands that have been impacted. But then this is only the surface. Some of these impacts result in very deep holes and they excavate a lot of materials that will also impact the forest because it takes time to get this topsoil to get the place to revegetate. So, it’s not only the size but the impact on our water bodies and the depth of the holes that are created.”
He cited the Western North, Western, and Ashanti Regions’ Tano Nimiri, Bonsa River and Apamprama Forest Reserves as some of the forest reserves that are impacted.
He further noted that illegal mining operatives within forest reserves were now using armed security with sophisticated assault rifles and other weaponry.
“These activities are typically carried out at night. The commission’s field staff has limited military training in self-defence and weapon handling.
“The limited pump action guns at our disposal are no match for the sophisticated weaponry at the disposal of the illegal miners,” he stressed.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, on his part, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fighting the threat of illegal mining in the country.