John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, has promised to halt mining in forest reserves if elected in the upcoming December 7 elections. The former President underscored the need to protect Ghana’s forests and voiced his concern about the damage caused by gold mining.
Speaking to chiefs and elders in the Central Region, Mr. Mahama made it clear that his administration would not allow mining activities that endanger the preservation of forest reserves.
He emphasized the importance of these forests, noting that some trees have stood for as long as 700 years, preserved by previous generations.Also Read: Infertility: Woman in search of a baby shares tale of Accra-based prophet’s attempted sexual assault
“We are going to stop all mining in forest reserves. Some of those trees existed when our ancestors were here. Some of those trees are 700 years old in those forest reserves. And our ancestors didn’t cut them. Our ancestors left them for us.
“We are going to cut them and what are we going to leave for our children? Savannah, desertification, destroyed environment. And so we must preserve the forest. Yes, it is attractive to get as much gold as we can but that is like cutting your nose to spite your face,” he said.
