Following the government of Ghana's intention to extract bauxite in the vital watershed and biodiversity hub situated in the Eastern Region of the country, the Atewa forest reserve has become the focus of legal disputes.
But even before the dispute between certain environmental organisations and the government at the Accra High Court could completely go on trial, the Minerals Commission has given Vimetco Ghana Bauxite Ltd. a licence to conduct prospecting in the forest reserve.
The licence is scheduled to expire in February 2025 and was made public on the Minerals Commission website.
However, many residents in the area are perplexed as to why the government is so determined to push for mining in the forest reserve, particularly given that the matter is currently in court.
False promise
In order to combat illicit mining, the Ghanaian government imposed at the beginning of this year a temporary moratorium on all types of prospecting activity within the national forest reserves.
The directive was given by Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
"The Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources hereby advises people and/or firms engaging in reconnaissance and/or prospecting in Forest Reserves, with or without legal authority, to halt such operations until further notice," the minister stated in a statement.
In light of this, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources officially gives individuals and/or businesses conducting reconnaissance or prospecting in Forest Reserves seven (7) days from the day this notice is published to stop their activities and leave the area. Additionally, the Minerals Commission has been instructed not to accept, process, or propose the award of exploration and prospecting permits in Forest Reserves, including their renewal or extension.
Following a National Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining, which was mostly about illicit mining and its detrimental effects on the environment, the Minister issued the decree.
A directive to the government to take action to severely enforce laws and consequences to all those who break the law, regardless of political colour, socioeconomic standing, or class, was one of the resolutions approved during the discussion.
Kofi Yeboah, a resident of Sagyimase in the East Akim District, spoke to ghenvironment.com and termed the licencing of Vimetco Ghana Bauxite Ltd. by the government as a broken promise. "This administration claims that prospecting should not be allowed in any of the nation's forest reserves. What will happen to the licence granted to Vimetco Ghana Bauxite Ltd. to conduct prospecting in the priceless Atewa forest reserve? Since this was a failed promise, we will oppose any mining in this forest.