The quest to undertake mining activities in an environmentally friendly manner is expected to receive a major boost by the end of August 2019.
According to the Lands Ministry, it has received $80 million, from the US Government, to begin reclamation of illegally mined sites across the country.
The sector Minister, Kweku Asomah Cheremeh explained that his outfit needed $200 million for the project.
The reclamation process will involve the removal of poisonous substances from the soil, dredging of water bodies and, where possible, removal of pollutants to make the land useful again.
The government in 2017 began a pilot reclamation exercise at some mining sites in Kyebi and the Prestea area in the Eastern and Western Regions respectively.
Data from the Lands Ministry indicates that an estimated 1.5 percent of the country’s land surface has allegedly been degraded by illegal mining and other bad environmental activities.
This represents between 50,000 and 60,000sq km out of the about 238,000 square kilometres land of the country.
Speaking to Citi News during a tour of some mining sites in the Eastern Region on Monday, July 29, 2019, the Lands Minister said an office has been set up an administrative office for the implementation of the reclamation exercise nationwide.
He noted that: “with the reclamation, we have just set up an office and hopefully by August ending it will take off. Eastern Region is one of the areas that the exercise will take off. Western and Ashanti regions are part of the areas.”
“We have gotten some money for the project. Not all the money is in. We were praying for $200 million for the project, but we now have $80 million and then we have also gotten another package of $ 3 million to set up the office. This is all geared towards the creation of employment for our people making sure that there is a proper livelihood for them so that we can get our youth out of the mining pit area,” the Minister added.