In support of the government’s Green Ghana project, AngloGold Ashanti Ghana (AGAG) Obuasi Mine has pledged to annually plant 1,000 seedlings in communities and schools within its operational area.
According to the mining business, as part of the Green Ghana initiative, which the government established in 2021, the objective is not just to plant but also to monitor the progress of the seedlings into mature trees.
The Green Ghana initiative, launched in 2021, aims to raise public awareness of the need for coordinated action to restore the nation’s deteriorated landscape and instil in young people the importance of planting and caring for trees and their numerous advantages.
These were mentioned over the weekend during planting 1,000 saplings in a few chosen operating communities to honour Green Ghana Day by Mr Emmanuel Baidoo, Senior Manager-Sustainability Department of the Mine.
He hinted that AGAG would work with AGA Malaria Control and other partners in the villages where the mine operates to carry out the tree-planting project.
Mr Baidoo added that the mining business had created a thorough environment management plan, which included ensuring that they carried out a reliable reclamation program to return the damaged area to its natural state.
The Senior Manager for Sustainability praised the government for the Green Ghana program and stated that because it was in line with AGAG’s overarching goal, they saw it as a testament to their commitment to funding environmental intervention.
He stated, “The Obuasi Mine is currently undertaking the Climate Resilient Oil Palm (CROP) Project, which is targeting 2,000 hectares of land in its first phase of five years to plant agroforestry trees, as part of the company’s Socio-Economic Development Interventions.
According to Mr Baidoo, the goal of the CROP project is “to make sure that any affected lands owing to the Mine’s activities are reclaimed and utilised for commercial purposes by planting oil palms and other cash crops on them.”
He said that the CROP initiative would be carried out on areas of riverbanks and fields that have been utilized for illicit mining, particularly the Jimi River.
Together with our partners, such as Solidaridad West Africa, the Department of Agriculture, and Traditional Authorities, we are carrying out this pledge. We are attempting to leave behind a good environmental legacy,” he said.
According to Mr Henry Yeboah, Supervisor of the Forestry Commission’s Obuasi office, the government decided to increase the number of seedlings from five million to twenty million in 2021 as a result of the program’s effective implementation.
He predicted a 70% survival rate for the seedlings planted in Obuasi in 2021 and pledged to keep an eye on those distributed this year.
He reaffirmed that 19,000 seedlings had been delivered to Obuasi for free distribution to people, churches, and organizations, and gave them advice on how to care for and protect them.