Ghana will make better use of data to deal with illegal small-scale mining, which has long been a headache for the leading African gold-producing country, a Ghanaian official has said.
Speaking at the ongoing 18th Plenary of the Group of Earth Observations (GEO) 2022 meeting in the Ghanaian capital of Accra on Wednesday, Ghanaian Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor warned about the negative impacts that illegal mining has on the environment.
“Mining continues to be one of the major drivers of deforestation in Ghana, and illegal mining, particularly illegal small-scale mining, has had such a devastating effect or impact on the environment of Ghana and the landscape of our country,” he said.
“Data is the key. Actionable information will guide the work we do, whether in terms of protecting the forest cover of the country or the sustainable management and exploitation of the natural resources,” the minister said.
Jinapor observed that the Ghanaian government had put in place a two-pronged approach in the fight against illegal mining and protecting the country’s forest cover.
“We are making to reform the industry itself through the licensing regime and enforcing the laws to make sure that we rid our country of illegal small-scale mining,” he said.
He further commended organizations, including the GEO and the Digital Earth Africa, for making data available for countries to aid them in solving climate change and other developmental challenges.