On February 14, 2025, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP, along with heads of agencies under his ministry, paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene, His Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
The purpose of the visit was to seek the blessings and support of the Asantehene for the government’s mission to reform the mining and forest sub-sectors of the country. Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah emphasized the importance of Otumfuo’s guidance in achieving these reforms.
Commending Leadership and Seeking Guidance
The Minister praised the Asantehene for his exemplary leadership, particularly in maintaining peace and resolving land-related disputes in the Ashanti Region. He appealed for Otumfuo’s wisdom and leadership in transforming the lands sector through innovative and transformative projects.
Addressing Illegal Mining
On the issue of illegal mining, Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah acknowledged the devastating impact of galamsey on the country’s forest reserves and water bodies. He highlighted that 44 out of 288 forest reserves have been affected by illegal mining activities, with significant increases in turbidity levels in major water bodies.
The Minister outlined the government’s immediate and radical initiatives to address the problem, including the establishment of an 18-member committee of experts to review the licensing regime, reclassification of mining categories, and overhauling of the Community Mining Scheme.
“We are very grateful for Otumfuo’s advice and support for the reset agenda that we’ve embarked on. We’ve laid out a plan to deal with key initiatives, and it started with the inauguration of the 18-member working committee. We are also reclassifying the mining categories and introducing medium-scale mining,” he stated.
Otumfuo’s Recommendations
The Asantehene commended the Lands Minister for his visit and expressed confidence in his ability to deliver. However, he emphasized the need to address the root cause of illegal mining, which is youth unemployment. Otumfuo urged the government to provide meaningful and sustainable livelihood opportunities for the youth in mining areas to deter them from engaging in illegal activities.
He also called on the government to target the “big fishes” in the galamsey business and prosecute them, rather than focusing solely on the youth. Additionally, Otumfuo advised the Lands Minister to halt the indiscriminate sale of public lands to public officials and praised the minister’s afforestation initiatives, including the Tree for Life project.
Support from Regional Leaders
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, thanked Otumfuo for his support and advice, assuring that he would work with colleague ministers to address the galamsey menace.
Earlier, Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah, along with the Ministers of Interior, Defence, and the Ashanti Regional Minister, toured the Afari Military Hospital, a project initiated by the Mahama-led government in 2014 but stalled under the Akufo-Addo administration.
Stay tuned for more updates on the efforts to reform the lands and natural resources sector and combat illegal mining in Ghana.
