Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has affirmed the government’s commitment to protecting the country’s forest reserves, including the Kakum National Park, from mining activities.
He stated that the relevant Act of Parliament, which safeguards forest reserves from indiscriminate mining, will be strictly enforced.
These remarks follow reports of potential mining activities in the Kakum National Park, which has encountered resistance.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, Mr. Jinapor said mining in forest reserves would not be permitted.
“An LI is subsidiary legislation and therefore is subservient to an act of Parliament. And the act of Parliament which regulates mining, Act 703, and the enabling law for the forestry commission and the forest protection agency, will not and cannot allow indiscriminate mining in forest reserves and will take precedence over an LI,” Samuel Abu Jinapor said.
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the public have raised concerns aboutthe potential impact of mining in the Kakum National Park, a renowned tourist site in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa.
The Minerals Commission CEO, in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, said that the Commission had rejected an application by High Street Mining Company Limited to mine in the Kakum National Park in the Central Region.