President Nana Akufo-Addo's declaration at the UNFCCC COP 29 in Baku that Ghana has restored 721,000 hectares of forest since 2017 has been met with sharp criticism from the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey.
The coalition, in a fiery press release, cast doubt on the President's claims, arguing that they contradict the ecological realities on the ground.
While acknowledging the need for forest restoration, the coalition described the President's statement as "pretentious" and accused his administration of failing to protect Ghana's forests from the twin scourges of illegal mining and unsustainable policies. "The reality is, while we were supposedly planting trees, we actively pursued policies that facilitated the destruction of natural forests," the statement read.
Citing the 2022 passage of Regulation L.I. 2462, which opened protected forests to mining, the coalition lambasted the government for undermining its international commitments, including its membership in the Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership. "These actions contradict Ghana's hard-earned reputation for sustainable forest management and highlight the government's complicity in the unprecedented destruction of forest reserves," the coalition emphasized.