Why we must end all mining in our nation's forest reserves immediately

The dreadful events occurring in the Sudanese capital - as rival forces battle for the control of  Khartoum's key installations, including its international airport and the presidential palace - might seem far away and of no concern to us in Ghana.

Yet, what is now happening in Sudan has valuable lessons for us in Ghana. Warlords can destroy nations for control of valuable minerals, such as gold.

It happened in Liberia and Sierra Leone decades ago.  Their chaotic-murderous-eras still affect the people of both those sister nations, even as we speak, as it happens.

That is why our nation's hard-of-hearing ruling-elites must take active steps to end gold mining, both legal and illegal, in all our nation's  forest reserves,  asap, oooo, Ghanafuor.

If we are to avoid suffering the same fate in Ghana,  as our brothers and sisters once did in Liberia and Sierra Leone,  and the residents of Khartoum are now suffering,  at some point in the not too distant future, then, it is crucial that in the era of extreme weather,  our forest reserves (now definitely more valuable than all the mineral deposits underneath them combined), are ringfenced by our system and made no-go areas, in order to protect the remainder of our natural heritage. 

 

We are not fools. We are  a wise and aspirational African people,   oooo, Ghanafuor, so let us unite to protect our priceless natural capital. Yooooooo...

Let no one doubt that if the impunity of the bad actors destroying our forest reserves for gold,  isn't ended swiftly, today's recalcitrant galamsayers, rogue  small-scale gold miners, community miners and their bedfellows, bushcut chainsaw lumber producers, will morphe into tomorrow's murderous  warlords -  who will upend our democracy, by deliberately creating chaos and insecurity, through a strategy of constantly battling our security agencies: as sure as day follows night.

Ghanafuor, our own Hemeditis are waiting in the shadows for the right moment to arrive for them  to emerge in force. Think the Wontumis - whose  ruthless violence-prone footsoldiers jam-pack our secret services, wai. As a wise and aspirational  African people, we must contain them by ending mining in all our forest reserves. Now. Not tomorrow.  Yooooooo...