The Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) has engaged the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to assess the implementation, progress and challenges confronting five major government programmes aimed at transforming Ghana’s land and natural resource sector.

The meeting focused on the National Anti-illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development (rCOMSDEP), Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative, Reclamation of degraded land sites, and Green Mining, with emphasis on identifying bottlenecks and accelerating the delivery of results.

The PDU delegation, led by the Head of the Unit, Madam Dinah Adiko, said the engagement forms part of efforts to provide targeted support to priority programmes of government. Following the meeting, the team is expected to undertake field visits and engage directly with the various agencies responsible for implementing the programmes.

These engagements are intended to provide a clearer understanding of challenges on the ground and facilitate practical solutions to ensure that the programmes achieve their intended targets.

Receiving the delegation, the Deputy Minister, Hon. Yusif Sulemana, highlighted measures being undertaken by the Ministry to intensify the fight against illegal mining, particularly activities threatening Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies.

He outlined some of the gains made in addressing illegal mining while drawing attention to operational and resource-related challenges that continue to affect the effective implementation of interventions across the sector.

Providing a detailed overview of the Ministry’s efforts, the Technical Director in charge of Forestry, Mr. Joseph Osiakwan, outlined the environmental and health implications of illegal mining and explained the Ministry’s five-pillar approach to tackling the menace.

Mr. Osiakwan noted that while significant interventions had been rolled out to protect Ghana’s natural resources, several challenges continued to hamper progress, including the slow pace of prosecution of illegal mining cases, inadequate funding for geological investigations, and limited resources for the reclamation and afforestation of degraded lands.

The engagement is expected to strengthen collaboration between the Presidential Delivery Unit, the Ministry and its implementing agencies, while ensuring that identified challenges are addressed with greater urgency. The planned field visits and agency-level engagements will provide an opportunity to move beyond assessment to practical interventions, with the ultimate objective of accelerating the implementation of the five priority programmes and delivering tangible results for the country.

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