Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor has assured Ghanaians that the protection of Ghana’s Land and Natural Resources entrusted to the care of his Ministry remains intact, adding that the Government, under the leadership of the illustrious and outstanding President Akufo-Addo, will continue to implement and implement the necessary policies. for the effective protection, preservation, management and utilization of the land and natural resources of the country for the benefit of Ghanaians.
“We understand that the resources we are entrusted to manage are for Ghanaians, and our duty as fiduciaries requires us to be responsible and intelligent in ensuring that Ghanaians benefit from them,” he said.
The Minister gave this firm assurance while addressing the press at the Ministerial Press Briefing held on Tuesday, February 28, 2022 at the Ministry of Information in Accra.
Also in line with the Protection agenda of Hon. Jinapor said the Forestry Commission, with the support of the Ghana Armed Forces, has closed all Forest Reserves and Wildlife Protected Areas, to get rid of illegal mining and illegal logging.
He among others listed some of the arrests made saying “Last year, two hundred and twelve (212) suspects were arrested by the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response Team for various forest and wildlife violations. These suspects were tried in various courts across the country.” Team said, also, the confiscation and/or removal of a number of equipment and forest products, including forty-four thousand five hundred and twenty-two (44,522) various types of wood, fifty-four (54) vehicles and seventeen (17) excavators ”
Delving into other developments in the Forestry sector, Hon. Jinapor announced that the Ministry’s flagship afforestation and reforestation program, Green Ghana Day, will plant 10 million saplings, in this year’s edition.
This said it will allow the Ministry to devote a lot of attention to nurturing over thirty million trees have been planted in the last two years, to ensure that all these trees reach maturity.
In addition to the Green Ghana Project, the Minister of Lands said that the Ministry is collaborating with the Department of Parks and Gardens, and Urban Roads to implement the Green Street Project, under which trees are planted in the middle of the main streets and roads. roads in various cities in the country to beautify the city while contributing to the fight against climate change.
In recognition of Ghana’s forest climate change policy, the Minister said Ghana has been created
Co-Chair of the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP), a new political forum that brings governments and other partners together to implement solutions that help reduce forest loss and land degradation while supporting sustainable development.
Highlights of development in the land sector, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor said that the National Land Conference was held in December last year, to, among other things, increase public awareness and the potential benefits of Law 1036, promote high-level support and ownership of interventions to address land governance, and strengthen, and development capacity of land sector stakeholders. A multi-stakeholder platform he noted is being established, with a secretariat in the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, to implement the recommendations of this Conference.
He continued that the Lands Commission, in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, has carried out several operations to recover encroached public lands. “The commission is also working with the Ghana Police Service to provide protection to all public lands and prevent them from further encroachment”.
Mendet also informed the public about the construction of the Land Commission office complex, saying, “the construction of the seven-story Land Commission Central Office has been completed approximately eighty-five percent (85%), and is expected to be completed and handed over. by the end of this year. Phase II of the Greater Accra Regional Office is also expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of this year. Construction of the Tema District Office Complex will begin in February 2022 and the first phase is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of this year”
The Minister further stated that the Government has decided to redevelop eighty hectares (80 hectares) of land around the Kotoka International Airport, starting from Stanbic Heights, through the Regional Office of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), to the Ministry of Defence, into a modern commercial hub. Agencies located in the enclave, including the Ghana Police Service, DVLA, Ghana Airport Company Limited, and the Ghana Meteorological Agency, were relocated to Kwabenya, close to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission.
Touching on the mining sector, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources announced that the transformative policies implemented by the government in the mining sector are yielding positive results.
Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor noted that the government has actively supported the small-scale mining sector with several policies. He said the government’s decision to reduce the withholding tax on unprocessed gold from small-scale mining companies has led to an increase in gold exports from the sector.
“Last year, the Government reduced the tax not processed by small-scale miners, which started in 2015, from three percent (3%) to one point five percent (1.5%). This led to a large increase in gold exports from small-scale mining. small, from three thousand four hundred nine point nine ounces (3,429.91oz) in 2021, to twenty two thousand one hundred fifty eight point two five ounces (22,158.25oz) in 2022, which is more than five hundred percent (500%), ” he said.
He further announced that the reform of the small-scale mining sector embodied in the fight against illegal mining has led to a reduction in the turbidity levels of some major water bodies in the country that have hitherto been polluted by galamsey activities.
The Hon. The Minister maintained that despite the extraordinary success chalked in the fight against illegal mining, the government and the Ministry will continue to step up efforts to protect the country’s Natural Resources.
He said that the acquisition of speedboats, establishment of Community Mining Scheme and National Alternative Livelihood Program (NALEP) resources are fulfilling the mandate, the Ministry is transforming the Small Scale Mining Sector.
“When I took my turn here last year, I announced that the Ministry acquired fast boats to patrol rivers to get rid of illegal mining. I am happy to report that these five boats have been purchased, and have been patrolling our river bodies.
“We have also trained the river guards who will be assigned to guard the rivers day and night. Operation Halt II will continue to support these measures. The Ghana Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) has also adopted the Birim River, and is working with the Ministry to stop illegal mining activities in the river.
“We have also inaugurated all eighty-three (83) Minor Mining Committees in various mining districts, in accordance with article 92 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (UU 703), to assist the District Office of the Mineral Commission to effectively monitor, promote and develop mining operations in his territory. This is the first time, since Act 703, Small Scale Mining Committees have been formed in all mining districts of the country. In the Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small Scale Mining Project, we are training the members of the Committee to build their capacity to efficiently carry out their functions.
“These measures have produced some positive results, with most of our river bodies looking clear and the level of turbidity has improved. This does not mean that we have got rid of illegal mining in the country. As he said, the cartels involved in illegal activities continue to operate, and find all the ways to defeat us. But we will not back down from our efforts, we will continue to take the necessary measures to ensure that we can overcome this cancer,” he said.
Touching on the development in the large scale mining space, Hon. Jinapor announced the arrival of four new mining companies that will start production ‘in the next two years’.
“For more than ten years, we have not had a large-scale mining operation in the country. Fortunately, after significant investment in exploration, four (4) new large-scale mining operations will start production in the next two and a half years, including lithium mining, one a critical mineral needed for the green energy transition,” he said.
He also noted that the plan is to make the country a mining center where mineral products are refined with added value to raw materials.
“We have, through Public – Private Partnership, established a gold refinery that will soon start refining our gold. We have several engagements with the Rand Refinery from South Africa, the London Bullion Marketing Association (LBMA) Referee, to secure the LBMA certificate for refined gold in Ghana , so that we can easily export and trade refined gold in the international market.
The Minister also stated that as part of the Government’s digitalization agenda, the Office of the Stool Land Administrator, with the support of the German International Cooperation (GIZ), has developed the OASL Revenue Application (OASL RevAPP), to support stool collection. revenue from land. Adding that the staff in all nine (9) operational areas of the Office have been trained, and use the App for data collection, billing and payment.
The aforementioned Ghana Boundary Commission, has completed the construction of the land border terminal (Pillar 1) on the Ghana – Togo border, paving the way for the country, this year, to begin the second phase of border delineation. He was quick to add that the exercise of re-affirmation of the borders of the Land with Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, also continues unabated.
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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