The Minerals Commission of Ghana has reacted to allegations made by the Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency, Alhassan Suhuyini, in respect of the issuance of a Forest Entry Permit to Messrs Koantwi Company Limited.
In a press release issued to www.africanentertainment.com and different media retailers, signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Martin Okay. Ayisi, the Minerals Commission set the information straight on the issuance of the Forest Entry Permit and the assorted allegations made by the NDC Member of Parliament
Below is the Minerals Commission’s assertion:
twenty ninth August, 2022
PRESS RELEASE
RE: MINING IN FOREST RESERVES
The consideration of the Minerals Commission has been drawn to a different publication by the Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency, Hon. Alhassan Suhuyini, in respect of the issuance of a Forest Entry Permit to Messrs Koantwi Company Limited. This was after the Commission had refuted his earlier allegation that the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, MP, had granted prospecting licences to some corporations to prospect for minerals in Forest Reserves.
First of all, it is very important emphasise that the ban issued in 2021 by the Minister was in respect of reconnaissance, prospecting and/exploration in Forest Reserves, besides in distinctive circumstances. The ban was imposed as a result of folks acquired reconnaissance and/or prospecting licences and rotated to mine, inflicting in depth injury to the Forest.
A reconnaissance, prospecting and/or exploration licence is essentially totally different from a mining lease. A reconnaissance, prospecting and/or exploration licence is granted to seek for minerals, whereas a mining lease is granted to mine and/or exploit the mineral after the exploration actions have recognized them in business portions. The environmental protocols for mining are extra stringent than reconnaissance and prospecting. It is for that reason that Government banned reconnaissance and prospecting in Forest Reserves, besides in distinctive circumstances.
For the avoidance of doubt, the ban doesn’t lengthen to mining or the precise extraction of minerals. It is public data that a part of the concessions of Newmont Ghana Limited, Chirano Gold Mines Ltd and Ghana Bauxite Company fall inside Forest Reserves, and these corporations have been mining within the forests, previous to, and after the imposition of the ban.
In respect of Messrs. Koantwi Company Limited, an informal studying of the Forestry Commission’s letter posted by Hon. Suhuyini exhibits that it was an approval for the issuance of a Forest Entry Permit to the Company to MINE inside a portion of the Forest Reserve, and to not undertake reconnaissance and/prospecting.
In any case, Messrs. Koantwi Company Limited was granted its mining lease on twenty second September, 2020, and ratified by Parliament on twenty second December, 2020, earlier than Hon. Jinapor grew to become Minister. The publication by Hon. Suhuyini suggesting that the Minerals Commission was not candid when it mentioned that the Minister has not issued a reconnaissance and/or prospecting licence is, due to this fact, not the case.
The Commission will urge most of the people to interact the Commission on a few of these issues earlier than going public. The Commission will proceed to work with related stakeholders to implement Government insurance policies for the efficient utilisation and administration of the pure sources of our nation, and significantly to combat unlawful mining and its devasting penalties.
END
SIGNED
MARTIN Okay. AYISI
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
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