President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the ban on illegal mining commonly known as galamsey in Ghana is yielding positive results towards the aim of reducing carbon emissions.
The president revealed this information while speaking at the 2023 Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya on September 5, 2023.
According to President Akufo-Addo, the ban on illegal mining is also aimed at controlling the level at which water bodies, arable lands, and forest reserves are being destroyed by illegal miners.
President Akufo-Addo added that several flagship policy initiatives such as planting for food and jobs, one village, one dam, and the ban on illegal mining have all contributed to reducing carbon emissions and building the country’s resilience to the impact of climate change.
“We placed a ban on illegal mining the phenomenon we call galamsey which was destroying our water bodies, vegetation, and our forest. Some 20, 000 young people have been engaged to plant more than 30 million trees in two years to create jobs and restore degraded lands”.
“These policy initiatives are already yielding positive results in the attainment of SDG Goals, particularly the goal of reducing our carbon emissions,” President Akufo-Addo noted.
President Akufo-Addo subsequently called on other African countries faced with similar land degradation issues to take similar steps to reduce their carbon emissions and build resilience to the impact of climate change.