We will not allow you to mine in Atiwa Forest – Group tells Akufo-Addo

Listen to this article Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Concerned Youth for Save Atiwa Forest has said that they will not allow the President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to mine bauxite in the Atiwa Forest.

In the Presidents State of the Nations Address the President said his government intends to go ahead with the proposed bauxite exploration in the Atewa Forest, completing snubbing resistance from NGOs and CSOs spearheading a campaign against the plan.

“We are in the final stage of an open and transparent investor engagement process and are in negotiations to select strategic investors to partner GIADEC for the bauxite mining and alumina refinery projects. The selected partners will be announced imminently”, he said.

Speaking in an interview with Michael Agyapong Agyapa on Radio 1 ‘Our Land Our Future’ program monitored by MyNewsGh.com, the president of the group Hon. Oteng Agyei said their reason for kicking against the president decision is because the Atewa forest is also a critical water source, housing the headwaters of the Birim, Densu, and Ayensu rivers, which provide water to local communities as well as millions of people downstream, including in the capital, Accra.

He added that “It is home to at least 50 mammal species, more than 1,000 species of plants, at least 230 species of birds and more than 570 butterflies. The Forest Reserve is located in Kyebi in the Eastern Region of Ghana, the President’s hometown.”

He further explain that pushing on with the mining will destroy the million of lives and affect a lot.

“The case of mining in the Atiwa forest is pending in court and we will not allow the President to mine in the forest. We will never allow that never,” he stated.

Civil society groups including A Rocha Ghana are demanding answers from the President regarding the decision to embark on mining activities with the potential of destroying the reserve in his backyard.