Galamsey Devastation Sparks EU Action: €2.4m to Restore 5,000 Hectares
The European Union in Ghana has given a €2.4 million grant to fund four forest restoration projects around the nation after the illegal miners’ devastation of several forest reserves. Stakeholders have high hopes that this intervention would enhance the livelihoods of farmers in the impacted regions in addition to aiding in the restoration of degraded forest reserves. The operations of illegal miners, sometimes referred to as galamsey, have seriously threatened Ghana’s forest reserves. Illegal logging and frequent wildfires have made the situation worse in a number of forests in the Ahafo, Bono East, Upper East, and Western Regions. Three non-profit organizations have received subsidies totaling €2.4 million from the European Union to help restore over 5,000 hectares of forest in order to address this issue. Paulina Pozycka, Head of Infrastructure and Sustainable Development at the EU Delegation to Ghana, claims that there is an urgent need to address the growing degradation of forest reserves because it presents significant hazards to ecosystems, local economies, and nearby populations. The EU is pleased to support Ghana’s policies for restoring its forests and to help the government in its endeavors to achieve sustainable development, of which the forest is a component. For many individuals, the forest provides a means of subsistence,” she remarked. “The initiative also includes building the capacity of 20,000 farmers in rural communities to help improve their livelihoods,” she said while speaking on the sidelines of the project launch.
