The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) has begun reclaiming land degraded by illegal mining activities at Adansi Asokwa near the Agenda 111 hospital project site as part of efforts to restore the environment and prevent further encroachment by illegal miners.
The reclamation exercise follows the seizure of two excavators and other mining equipment allegedly used by illegal miners after the site came to the attention of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, and the Ashanti regional Security Coordinator, Captain (Rtd.) John Kwame Jabari.
The operation aims to restore the degraded land for productive uses, including agriculture, while safeguarding the nearby Agenda 111 hospital project from further encroachment.
Speaking during the exercise Ashanti regional coordination councils inspection lead Alhaji Njei, Deputy Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, the Chief Executive Officer of AgriCentric Dentistry Limited, Gideon Yamese, said his company had partnered with the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council to undertake scientific soil remediation to restore the ecological health of the mined-out land.
According to him, the company will apply specially cultivated microbial inoculants, or beneficial bacteria, to break down harmful chemicals left in the soil by illegal mining activities before introducing activated biochar to improve soil fertility.
“We use bacteria to reduce the bioavailability of harmful chemicals in the soil and then apply activated biochar to make the land productive again,” he explained.
Mr. Yamese said the initiative goes beyond conventional land reclamation by introducing what he described as a socially inclusive approach that integrates environmental restoration with sustainable livelihoods.
Rather than simply planting trees and leaving the reclaimed land unattended, he said the project would cultivate oil-yielding shrubs capable of producing high-value essential oils for local processing and export.
He explained that members of the local community would be employed to cultivate, harvest and process the crops, creating jobs while ensuring continuous human presence on the land to discourage illegal miners from returning.
“We want to engage the community and traditional authorities so that the reclaimed land becomes a community asset. With people working here throughout the year, no one will get the opportunity to come back and engage in illegal mining,” he said.
Mr. Yamese added that the project would operate under a public-private partnership arrangement, with government expected to bear the cost of implementation while communities benefit through employment opportunities and improved local economic activity.
He described the initiative as an economically viable model capable of rebuilding rural economies while protecting reclaimed lands from future degradation.
Inspecting progress at the site, the Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Njei, said the reclamation exercise forms part of a broader climate action and anti-illegal mining programme being implemented across the Ashanti Region.
He disclosed that authorities were undertaking district-by-district interventions, including temporary bans on mining activities in some areas to facilitate land restoration.
“The climate action programme in the region is progressing seriously. We are moving district by district, and in some areas we have imposed bans ranging from two weeks to one month to enable us reclaim these lands,” he said.
Alhaji Njei said security agencies, environmental institutions and other stakeholders were collaborating with the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council to ensure the success of the exercise.
He expressed concern that despite ongoing reclamation works, some suspected illegal miners were still loitering around the site, warning that failure to maintain vigilance could result in mining activities extending onto the nearby Agenda 111 hospital project.
“As we stand here, you can see how close this place is to the Agenda 111 project. Even while reclamation is ongoing, we are still seeing some young men around. If we are not careful, in the coming days or weeks they could move onto the hospital site itself. We have to wake up and fight this menace,” he cautioned.
The reclamation initiative forms part of the government’s broader efforts to combat illegal mining, restore degraded lands and protect critical public infrastructure from the environmental impact of galamsey activities.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
