Help protect the environment - Savannah Regional Minister appeals to chiefs

The Minister of the Savannah Region Mr Saeed Muhazu Jibril has appealed to the Chiefs of the region to help in the protection of the vegetation cover of the newly created Savannah Region.

Speaking at the Savannah Regional Environmental Consultative forum held in Damongo on 21st April 2021, the minister bemoaned the rate at which valuable trees are being destroyed in logging and commercial charcoal burning businesses.

He said the future of the development and growth of the newly created Savannah Region largely depends on the natural resources God has blessed the region with and must be protected at all cost for the future generation.

He, therefore, used the opportunity to caution the traditional authorities who were present to send the message across and to remind their followers that in the next two weeks, the ban on the activities of logging and commercial charcoal burning ends and the taskforce put in place to help in the fight will never spare anybody no matter his/her status in the region when caught in the act.

On the issue of small scale mining popularly known as galamsey, Hon Jibril said it will be done in a better way instead of the usual ways where water bodies are polluted.

“Nobody is going to chase our young men away in illegal gold mining (galamsey) but they must do it in a proper manner and we are registering them as community miners for free”; he said.

He noted that there will be a concession on the activities of mining and individuals shall be registered within the Region as small scale miners and community miners in order to fish out people engaged in the activity illegally that is contrary to the regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency rules and regulations.

He also hinted at a stakeholder consultation between Government representatives, Traditional leaders of galamsey prone areas in the region and individuals engaged in the activity in the Region to see the way forward.

The Paramount Chief of the Buipe Traditional area and Vice- President of the Gonja Traditional Council Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor (||) on behalf of the King of Gonja of Gonja Yagbonwura Tuntumba Boresah (I) condemned the activities of illegal gold mining popularly known as galamsey, all logging activities including rosewood and the burning of charcoal for commercial purposes in the Region and urged traditional authorities to support the minister and his team end the menace.

“It is sad and indescribable on how the vegetation cover of the hard-earned kingdom is mishandled especially in matters of illegal logging of Rosewood and declared commercial charcoal burning activities in the Kingdom”; the Buipewura bemoaned.

He added that the depletion of the ozone layer has resulted in heavy rainstorms that has rendered many people homeless in the region Buipewura indicated.

He noted further that environmental degradation in the region is a result of the illegal human activities going on and posterity will judge them if they the traditional leaders, politicians, citizens and other stakeholders
of the Region failed to curtail the menace.

He, therefore, called on the paramount chiefs, politicians and key stakeholders in the Region to as a matter of urgency to join hands with the traditional council and government agencies to fight illegal mining activities, illegal Rosewood logging and the burning of charcoal for commercial purposes.

All 19 paramount Chiefs in the Savannah Region including stakeholders, and government agencies were present during the one-day forum held in Damongo.