NGO urges restoration of mining sites in Northern Ghana

Tama Foundation Universal, a civil society organization focused on extractive industries in Northern Ghana, has issued a pressing call for the immediate restoration of vegetation in degraded mining areas in the region.

Dr. Chrys Anab, the Executive Director of the NGO, emphasized the urgent need to address the widespread destruction caused by illegal mining activities, which have left vast

Read full articlestretches of land barren and unreclaimed, posing a significant threat to the already fragile vegetation cover.

In an interview with Graphic Online in Tamale, Dr. Anab underscored the critical importance of restoring degraded lands, highlighting their potential for agricultural use in addressing food and nutritional security challenges in the area.

He expressed concern over the competition for arable land in Northern Ghana, particularly in densely populated regions like the Upper East, warning that failure to reclaim degraded lands promptly could exacerbate food crop cultivation constraints in the future.

Dr. Anab's remarks were made during a high-level forum on natural resource governance in Northern Ghana, funded by the Ford Foundation.

The forum convened stakeholders from government ministries, departments, agencies, local authorities, civil society organizations, and traditional leaders to deliberate on strategies for addressing challenges related to natural resource management.

The forum also served as a platform to disseminate research findings on various aspects of natural resource management, including conflicts, water quality issues in illegal mining areas, and the environmental impact of mining activities in the region.

Dr. Anab seized the opportunity to advocate for increased government intervention in land reclamation efforts in Northern Ghana to mitigate environmental degradation caused by illegal mining.

Charles Abugri, the Board Chairman of Tama Foundation Universal, highlighted the organization's collaboration with the Ford Foundation over the past three years to implement the Natural Resource Accountability in Northern Ghana (NaRAING) project.

This initiative aims to promote transparent and accountable practices in the utilization of mineral resources, addressing social inequalities and environmental sustainability in the region.