The Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) has commissioned a five-year forest rehabilitation project to restore 50 hectares of degraded forest at the Subri River Forest Reserve.
The move formed part of efforts to promote environmental sustainability and responsible management of the country’s mineral wealth.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony at Sekyere Krobo last Thursday, the Chief Executive Officer of MIIF, Mrs Justina Nelson, said the country’s mineral wealth must be managed alongside efforts to protect forests, water systems and ecosystems for future generations.
Supporting agencies
The purpose of the project, she said, was to support forest rehabilitation in mining regions and promotion of sustainability in mining, and would be implemented by MIIF in collaboration with the Forestry Commission, with support from Zijin Golden Ridge Ghana, OmniBSIC Bank, Ghana International Bank and Zenith Bank.
“The true value of our nation’s mineral wealth lies not only in what we extract today, but also in the natural heritage we preserve for generations to come,” she said.
Mrs Nelson said the country’s mineral resources created significant economic opportunities but stressed that the benefits must go hand in hand with the responsibility to protect the natural environment that sustained communities.
She said MIIF believed responsible resource management should consider not only the value generated today but also the environmental legacy left for future generations.
Under the five-year initiative, she said the Forestry Commission would provide technical expertise and implementation support for the restoration of the 50 hectares of degraded forest.
The focus
The project aims to rehabilitate degraded forest landscapes, conserve biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience and promote responsible natural resource management in Ghana’s mining regions.
Mrs Nelson emphasised that forest restoration required more than planting trees, noting that sustained care, effective monitoring and collective responsibility were necessary to ensure the restored landscape thrived.
“Our success will, therefore, be measured not simply by the trees planted, but by the forest we restore and protect over time,” she said.
She expressed the fund’s appreciation to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for its support, the Forestry Commission for its technical partnership and the supporting partners for their commitment to the initiative.
Mrs Nelson again acknowledged the traditional authorities, the District Assembly and the people of Sekyere Krobo, particularly farmers, for their role in protecting the land and sustaining the benefits of the project.
Take ownership
She urged the community to take ownership of the initiative and help safeguard the restoration site for future generations.
The MIIF chief executive said the commissioning reaffirmed the fund’s commitment to restoring the nation’s lost forest cover and safeguarding biodiversity for the benefit of present and future generations.
She expressed the hope that the project would grow into a lasting legacy of forest restoration, environmental protection and responsible mineral wealth management.
Strategic partnerships
The Executive Director of the Forestry Commission, Dr Sarfo Adu, commended MIIF and its industry partners for supporting the process aimed at restoring the forest.
The initiative, he said, demonstrated how strategic partnerships between public institutions and industry players could help restore damaged ecosystems, strengthen climate resilience and promote sustainable environmental management.
The Subri River Forest Reserve, Dr Adu said, played a vital ecological role in the Western Region, serving as an important watershed, supporting biodiversity and helping regulate the local climate.
A representative of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Macdana Yunus, who represented the sector minister, said an initiative such as the restoration of degraded land in the Subri River Forest Reserve was essential to safeguarding the environment, protecting water bodies and preserving natural resources for future generations.
The ministry, led by Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, underscores the need for sustained efforts to address illegal mining and other activities contributing to forest degradation.
