By the end of August, he claimed, the boats would be deployed on the rivers Ankobra, Pra, and Birmin in the Western, Eastern, and Savannah Regions, as well as the Black Volta.
According to Mr. Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, the government has bought five new patrol boats for the security forces to deploy to stop the threat of mining on the nation’s river systems. By the end of August, the boats, according to him, will be deployed on the rivers Ankobra, Pra, and Birmin in the Western, Eastern, and Savannah Regions, respectively.
I am pleased to inform you that the ministry has purchased five patrol boats, which the security forces will deploy to monitor and defend our rivers. This is a more long-lasting solution to the contamination of our river bodies, he said. When it was his turn to speak at the Minister’s Briefing, which is held every two weeks and occurred yesterday in Accra, the Minister revealed this.
In the field of law enforcement, according to Mr. Jinapor, a meeting with all relevant parties was conducted, and it was decided that each of the 16 regional ministers and their respective coordinating councils would oversee law enforcement in their respective districts. He clarified that the ministry had established a two-pronged strategy to combat the threat of illegal mining in the nation, and this was a reformation of the sector and law enforcement.
Additionally, he stated that river bodies remained “red zones” for mining and that except in rare circumstances, research, prospecting, and reconnaissance were still prohibited in forest reserves. He stated that more mine inspectors had been hired and that the commission had the resources to carry out effective regulation. “The Forestry Commission’s forest guards have been collaborating with the required security authorities to impose this limitation, with sporadic assistance from Operation Halt II.”
He emphasized that to help the District Offices of the Minerals Commission effectively monitor, promote, and develop mining operations within their purview, “we have established Small Scale Mining Committees in the various mining districts by Section 92 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).” 70 of these committees have so far been established in the various mining areas, according to Mr. Jinapor, and 13 more were scheduled to be established today in Bolgatanga in the Savannah, North East, Upper West, and Upper East regions.
