One of the state's most ferocious foes was. Mining is prohibited in forest reserves, near bodies of water, or without a permit under Ghana's Minerals and Mines Act, 2006 (Act 703), as modified by the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 995).
Yet, Yaw Nkrumah, 52, and many of others disobeyed the legislation with impunity. With the use of excavators and hazardous substances like cyanide and mercury, they demolished agricultural fields, protected forests, and water bodies, polluting them severely. They left behind exposed pits that were deadly traps for locals living in mining towns.
On February 6, 2023, I encountered this opponent of the state, but this time he was a supporter of the environment. He currently contributes to a land restoration initiative.
When I visited him in Asawinso in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality in the Western Region, he and 50 other people were actively tending to 139 hectares of degraded ground that had been recovered by watering seedlings and weeding.
Mr. Nkrumah claimed that after being hired in October 2022 to work for the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NAELPland )'s reclamation component, he had undergone a transformation.
"I couldn't see. I was unaware that by destroying the environment, I was also endangering my six children's future and myself. I can see now, and I've promised never to mine illegally again "He pointed.
Agnes Ackah, a 45-year-old lady who was similarly mired in galamsey until October 2022, was on a confessional tear: "I have ruined the environment for many years, with nothing to show. I now have a source of income, can afford to send my kids to school, and can rest easy thanks to the reclamation project, she added.
NAELP
The NAELP was introduced by the government in 2021 as part of attempts to stop unlawful mining across the country. The national land reclamation programme, one of the program's components, aims to restore damaged areas around water bodies.
Almost 1,000 hectares of degraded land are being restored as part of the NAELP reclamation project in mining villages in the Ashanti, Western North, and Eastern regions.
Over 500 hectares of the degraded lands are being reclaimed at four sites in the Western North Region by a private firm called Dredge Masters Ghana Ltd. My visits to the four sites—Asawinso sites A and B, Mpesiem, and Antobia—in the districts of Sefwi-Wiawso, Juaboso, and Bibiani-Anhwiaso, respectively, revealed that the work was more than 90% finished overall. In the Asawinso sites A and B, as well as Mpesiem, the earthworks were finished, while the Antobia site was 90% complete.
Gilbert Atima (G.A), the site manager of the NAELP reclamation project, was there when I arrived at the two sites at Asawinso on Monday, February 6 at approximately 10 a.m. I spoke with him about the following:
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