GoldBod commits GHC35 million to Tano Nimri Forest Reserve reclamation

The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) is intensifying efforts to restore lands devastated by illegal mining, with a GH¢35 million reclamation project underway at the Tano Nimri Forest Reserve in the Western North Region.

The project seeks to reclaim 60 hectares of degraded land in Compartment 161 of the reserve, which suffered extensive environmental destruction from unauthorised mining activities between 2021 and 2024.

According to project information, illegal mining operations destroyed approximately 192.4 hectares of woodland, leaving behind deep mining pits, unstable terrain and significant threats to the reserve's ecological integrity.

Samuel Danso, Sustainability Manager, said a major invasion by illegal miners in 2022 severely affected the area's biodiversity and timber concessions previously managed by the Samatex Timber Company.

The destruction left large stretches of land unsuitable for natural regeneration without significant engineering intervention.

To address the damage, GoldBod has deployed a GH¢35 million reclamation initiative, with the Ghana Armed Forces Engineer Regiment undertaking major earthmoving and civil engineering works under the operational command of Major Shem Adolinama.

The ongoing works include backfilling hazardous mining pits, stabilising the soil through excavation and blending of mud with dry soil, and constructing drainage channels to control water flow and reduce the risk of sediment contamination in the Tano River.

As the engineering phase approaches completion, the site is being graded and levelled to minimise soil erosion and prepare the land for ecological restoration.

GoldBod and the military engineering team are expected to hand over the reclaimed 60-hectare area to the Forestry Commission in the coming weeks to facilitate tree planting and the regeneration of indigenous vegetation.

The handover will mark the transition from civil engineering works to the next phase of restoring the forest's natural ecosystem.

GoldBod says the initiative forms part of its broader commitment to environmental sustainability and demonstrates the importance of combining responsible resource management with efforts to repair the ecological damage caused by illegal mining.

The Board maintains that economic development and environmental protection must be pursued together to safeguard Ghana's natural resources for future generations.