Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama has proposed legislation to end illegal mining activities on cocoa farms.
This legislation according to him will aim at safeguarding economic trees, including cocoa from the threats posed by illegal mining.
The former President who is seeking re-election in the December 7 election announced this in a meeting with cocoa farmers in Kumasi on February 9.
“We will check the menace of galamsey on cocoa trees, and one of the suggestions that have come is to pass a law on the destruction of economic trees, which would include cocoa, and so if somebody willfully enters a cocoa farm and destroys it because he is mining gold or whatever he’s mining, he commits an offence unless he has properly got the permit and compensation has been calculated properly before anything like that can happen,” he said.
Mr Mahama also emphasised the need for traditional authorities to be empowered to play a key role in the issuance of mining licenses and to safeguard forest reserves.
“We have to involve the traditional authorities to help protect the forests, all natural resources are for the government but there is a need for new laws that will ensure the traditional authorities have a say in granting entry permits into the forests,” he added.
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