The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has reiterated that forest reserves remain no-mining zones as part of efforts to curb illegal mining, except in some exceptional situations.
He said the government no longer issues licenses for reconnaissance, prospecting, or exploration in forest reserves, unless there are special circumstances.
River bodies have also been designated as a red zone for mining, the majority of which, the speaker continued, have their origins in forest reserves.
He also disclosed that a total of six licences for mining in forest reserves have been issued. These include CIMAF Ghana Limited, which was authorized in 2018 but no longer exists as of 2021, and Chirano Gold Mines Ltd, which was renewed in 2019 after the previous authorization from 2004 expired in 2019.
The remaining companies are Kingsperp Mining Ltd., Koantwi Mining Co. Ltd., Onex International Co. Ltd., and Trans-Atlantic Logistics Ltd., all of which were given licenses in 2020.
Of the six permits, he said, only Chirano Gold Mines and Koantwi Mining are in mining operations, with the others still working on other permits and/or authorisations required to commence their operations.
The minister was addressing in parliament about the condition of the nation’s forest reserves when he asserted that, despite numerous threats that have a detrimental influence on the vital resources, the ecological integrity of Ghana’s forest reserves has mostly been preserved.
