President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has underscored the positive outcomes of the ban on illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, in contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions.

He made these remarks during his address at the 2023 Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.

During his speech, President Akufo-Addo emphasized that the prohibition of galamsey, which has been responsible for the degradation of water bodies and forest reserves, has played a pivotal role in diminishing carbon emissions in Ghana.

He highlighted that various flagship policy initiatives, including “Planting for Food and Jobs,” “One Village, One Dam,” and the ban on illegal mining, have collectively contributed to lowering carbon emissions while bolstering the nation’s resilience to the adverse effects of climate change.

President Nana Akufo-Addo

“We placed a ban on illegal mining, the phenomenon we call galamsey, which was destroying our water bodies, vegetation, and our forests. Some 20,000 young people have been engaged to plant more than 30 million trees in two years to create jobs and restore degraded lands,” Citinewsroom quoted President Akufo-Addo.

He went on to emphasize that these policy initiatives have already yielded positive outcomes in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the pursuit of reducing carbon emissions.

President Akufo-Addo used the platform to urge other African nations to take similar measures aimed at curtailing carbon emissions and strengthening their capacity to confront the challenges posed by climate change.Source: ghanaweb.com