The Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) has partnered the Forestry Commission and five others to rehabilitate and restore 50 acres of degraded land in the Subri River Forest Reserve.
Zijin Golden Ridge Limited, the Ghana International Bank and three other financial institutions will support the two partners to deliver the project as part of their corporate social responsibility on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Authority are also collaborators.
The initiative aims to restore degraded forest land, support biodiversity conservation and promote sustainable natural resource management in Ghana’s mining areas.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the Forestry Commission will provide technical expertise and oversee the implementation of the restoration project.
Dubbed “Support of Forest Rehabilitation in Mining Regions and Promotion of Sustainability in Mining,” the project will be implemented over a two-year period and seeks to rehabilitate degraded portions of the Subri River Forest Reserve through targeted reforestation and restoration activities.
Responsible environmental management
Commenting on the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MIIF, Justina Nelson, said the project reflected MIIF’s commitment to ensuring that the benefits of Ghana’s mineral resources were pursued alongside responsible environmental management.
“As an institution entrusted with managing Ghana’s mineral income and State interests in the mining sector, MIIF recognises that value creation must go hand in hand with environmental responsibility.
“Restoring degraded forest landscapes is not only about planting trees; it is about protecting biodiversity and ensuring that communities can continue to benefit from our natural resources for generations to come,” she said.
Mrs Nelson added that the partnership demonstrate the importance of collaboration among government institutions and mining companies as well as local communities in addressing environmental challenges in mining regions, adding, “We believe that meaningful partnerships such as this can make a lasting difference”.
The scope of work will include site preparation, seedlings and other inputs, tree planting, monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder and community engagement, as well as ESG reporting.
Context
The project is expected to contribute to the restoration of degraded forest ecosystems, improve biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience and promote sustainable forest management in one of Ghana’s important forest reserves.
It will also provide opportunities for local communities and other stakeholders to participate in forest restoration and conservation activities, reinforcing the importance of community involvement in protecting Ghana’s natural resources.
Long-term responsibility
For his part, the CEO of Zijin Golden Ridge Limited, Leon Zhang, said: "We approach forest restoration as a long-term responsibility, not a one-time gesture,” and added that the company’s biodiversity offset programme at Atewa reflected that.
He said the partnership with MIIF and the Forestry Commission to restore the Subri River Forest Reserve carried that same commitment and focus.
