Govt will protect Ghana’s forest reserves at all cost – Lands Minister

Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor says the government is launching an aggressive campaign to conserve the country’s forest reserve.

Mr. Jinapor claims that all types of attacks against the country’s forests will be met with resistance.

His comment comes after Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng’s damming report on galamsey in Ghana.

Samuel Abu Jinapor says the Forestry Commission is up to the task.

“I want to say to the Ghanaian people that whatever it takes to protect the forest reserve of the country, the government is putting in place all kinds of measures. Recently, we had a retreat and the Forestry Commission briefed cabinet on the measures that are being taken to protect forest reserves. We are going to continue these measures to ensure that these forests are protected from the drivers of deforestation and degradation.”

In a 37-page paper, the former Minister of Science, Environment, Technology, and Innovation, who also served as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, accused important political actors in the government of contributing to the poisoning of significant water bodies.

The Chairman of the now-defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining accused government officials of colluding in the war against galamsey.

The report has been dismissed by the Presidency, but a number of stakeholders have pushed for a thorough probe by an independent body.