The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Jinapor has appealed to the Queenmothers constituting the Asanteman Traditional Council to assist government in the fight against illegal mining in their various traditional areas.
According to him, the fight against illegal mining is a collective one and as such cannot be won without the efforts and support of important stakeholders like Queenmothers, as he believes in the power women wield, especially those with traditional authority.
“If you want to conquer the world let the women lead and you will have the world under your feet,” he added
Speaking at a meeting with the Queen mothers in Kumasi on the sidelines of his one day tour of the Ashanti Region yesterday, Mr Jinapor said “I have been here to court the support of the Otumfuo and the Chiefs of Asanteman and it will be unacceptable on my part not to court your support, because without you, we cannot win this fight.”
He bemoaned the troubling destruction of lands and natural resources of the country, particularly the river bodies, and pleaded with the Queenmothers to find ways that will help government fight the destructive menace.
He reiterated government’s stance on mining activities in general, saying that “government, as I have always said, is not against mining, we love our gold and other minerals and the jewellery we make out of them, but what we are against is the illegal way of going about the act and is what we want you to help us fight against”.
The Lands and Natural Resources Minister assured the Queenmothers of government’s support, adding that he will ensure the Minerals Commission provide them with needed resources to engage in the combat against illegal mining and also assured to engage them in the Green Ghana Project in the coming year.
The Queenmother of Asante Mampong, Nana Agyakuma Difie who spoke on behalf of the Queenmothers’ assured the Minister of their support and rallied the other mothers to support the government to fight the menace, as she indicated that if the Natural resources deteriorate it will go against them and their generations
He requested the minister to support the Queenmothers with all resources they may require to respond to their fight against the menace.
The Queen mothers, who were drawn from Bono, Ahafo, Bono East and Adansi collectively, thanked the lands Minister for the meeting and gave their comments to corroborate the plea made by the Mampong Queenmother on their behalf.
The meeting, among others also discussed the planting of Rosewood in large quantities and the effort of government to partner Queenmothers of the Asanteman Council to pilot the planting of bamboo and their active involvement in the 2023 Green Ghana Project.
