President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said, the ban on illegal mining, also known as galamsey, is yielding positive results in Ghana’s bid to reduce carbon emissions.
Speaking at the 2023 Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, the President noted that, the ban on galamsey, which was destroying water bodies and forest reserves, has helped to reduce the country’s carbon emissions.
President Akufo-Addo added that, several flagship policy initiatives such as Planting for Food and Jobs, One Village, One Dam and the ban on illegal mining have all contributed to reducing carbon emissions and building the country’s resilience to help reduce climate change.
“We placed a ban on illegal mining the phenomenon we call galamsey which was destroying our water bodies, vegetation and our forest. Some 20, 000 young people have been engaged to plant more than 30 million trees in two years to create jobs and restore degraded lands.
“These policy initiatives are already yielding positive results in the attainment of SDG Goals, particularly the goal of reducing our carbon emissions,” President Akufo-Addo said.
He called on other African countries to take similar steps to reduce their carbon emissions and build resilience.