The Associate Executive Director of Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining( Wacam), Mrs Hannah Owusu Koranteng has stated that directives to suspend all activities in the forest reserve by the sector minister is, although late, but nonetheless, a step in the right direction.
According to the environmentalist and human right activist, the 1992 constitution already made provision in protecting Ghana’s ecosystem from all forms of mining and other activities that may endanger Ghana’s various laws pertaining to acquiring permit in undertaking any form of mining activities. However government has failed in enforcing them.
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“We already have laws that have been put in place to protects our forest reserves. The only problem is that the various governments have been in power have failed in enforcing such laws . So If the government has taken upon itself to enforce its own laws, although this is long overdue, it is however a step in the right direction.”
Speaking to Sammy Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, Mrs Koranteng stated that, ” our natural resources and ecosystem have been depleted due to failure to enforce implemented laws by governmental bodies. If the government had given much attention to scrutinizing the activities of the various forms of mining early enough, say 15 years ago, our water bodies and forest reserves wouldn’t have been depleted to this extent.
She however encouraged all stakeholders to support government in its efforts to preserve and protect Ghana’s eco system.
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“Ghanaians should understand that Ghana is the only assets we have. We cannot sit back and watch a few greedy people destroy this precious asset in the name of earning a living. Let us all rally behind the government in preserving our forestry reserves”.
By Belinda Baaba Baidoo