MLNR-PR UPDATES
The Asantehene, His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, had a courtesy call from Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, on Friday, February 14, 2025.
Along with a few leaders of the agencies under his ministry, the Minister revealed the reason for his visit, saying that he and the government place a high value on Asantehene Otumfuo II’s blessings.
Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah clarified that Otumfuo’s assistance and direction would be crucial as the administration sets out to modernize the nation’s mining and forest subsectors.
Additionally, the purpose of the courtesy call was to get Otumfuo’s support for the ministry’s programs and projects.
He praised the Asantehene for his exceptional and model leadership, which is demonstrated by the absence of land-related conflicts in the Ashanti Region.
He also respectfully asked the Asantehene to share his leadership and wisdom with him as he works to change the lands sector by carrying out ground-breaking and revolutionary projects.
Regarding unlawful mining, Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah praised Otumfuo for some significant earlier interventions and urged support for him and the administration as they forge a new course that he believes will result in a total change of the situation.
He lamented the catastrophic effects of galamsey on the nation, pointing out that the turbidity level of the nation’s main water bodies has increased from 5,000 NTU to 12,000, and that forty-four (44) of the 288 forest reserves have been destroyed by galamsey operations.
Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah underlined the gravity of the situation and listed some drastic and quick steps the administration has taking to solve it.
Among other things, the steps include reclassifying the mining categories, revamping the Community Mining Scheme, and forming an 18-member committee of specialists to assess the licensing regime.
“We are very grateful for Otumfour advice and support for the reset agenda that we’ve embarked on. We’ve laid out a plan to deal with key initiatives, and it started with the inauguration of the 18-member working committee.”
“We are also reclassifying the mining categories and introducing medium-scale mining,” he indicated.
In addition to thanking the Lands Minister for his visit, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II urged the Heads of Agencies and other ministry officials to provide him with the necessary support, expressing his unwavering faith in his ability to fulfill his duties as Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
However, Otumfuo cautioned Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah to deal with youth unemployment, which is the main cause of the illicit mining canker.
He claimed that young people in mining areas would be less likely to succumb to the lure of mining in forest reserves and water bodies if they were exposed to worthwhile and sustainable sources of income.
He added that the ministry should create a livelihood program to support you and urged the government to target the “big fishes” in the galamsey industry, catching and prosecuting them rather than concentrating just on the young people who go out to get their daily bread.
Regarding public lands, Otumfuo also advised the minister of lands to make sure that during his term, the practice of selling public properties to public officials without any discernible purpose be stopped.
Citing the Tree for Life initiative as admirable, he commended the Lands Minister for the vigorous afforestation effort and promised his support for the project.
Dr. Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister, expressed gratitude to Otumfuo for his guidance and support and promised to collaborate with his fellow ministers to address the galamsey threat.
The Afari Military Hospital was started by the Mahama-led government in 2014 but stalled under the President Akufo-Addo administration. Earlier, Hon. Armah-Kofi Buah accompanied the Interior Minister, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, the Defense Minister, Hon. Dr. Edward Omane-Boamah, and the Ashanti Regional Minister on the tour.
Source: newsthemegh.com