Government is committed to the provision of alternative livelihoods support to young people in mining communities across the country to help sanitise the sector, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor has assured.
According to him, an Alternative Livelihood Projects (ALPs) has been developed to equip people living in mining communities with skills to improve upon their economic lives independent of mining.
This he said will ensure that mining communities do not become ghost towns even after cessation of mining.
Mr Samuel Jinapor disclosed this during a ceremony to mark the lifting of 4 Million Hybrid Oil Palm Seedlings in support of the Green Ghana Project at Atkwatiakwaso in the Eastern Region.
He indicated that the Ministry’s effort of curbing illegal mining also requires that the energies of our young ones who engages in illegal mining are redirected into sustainable livelihoods activities such as oil palm plantations.
The Minister reiterated that Government is not against small scale mining but against illegal mining his recent tour of some major rivers bodies in Ghana including the Brim river in the Eastern Region saw some level of devastated lands.
He appealed to traditional rulers and all well-meaning citizens and non-citizens alike to support the fight against illegal Mining.
Government he stated intends to plant five million trees in a day across the country as a programme under the Green Ghana Project.
The Minister stated that the exercise would commence with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin Yeboah, and the Yaa Naa and planting trees on June 11, 2021.
Mr Jinapor called on all Chiefs to participate in the tree planting exercise. ” Let’s go planting and let’s go planting 5 Million trees”, he concluded.
