The National Security Secretariat in the Ashanti Region has announced a one-month suspension of all mining activities and the movement of excavators in the Juaben Municipality as part of measures to tackle illegal mining and restore degraded lands.
The directive, which is expected to remain in force throughout July, was announced by the Deputy Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, Alhaji Nji Abdallah Umar, following an inspection of mining sites within the municipality.
He said the Ashanti Regional Security Council had agreed to dedicate the period to reclaiming lands affected by mining activities and restoring damaged water bodies.
Alhaji Umar cautioned individuals and companies engaged in mining activities within the municipality to comply with the directive, warning that security agencies had been mandated to enforce the ban.
“The Regional Minister, who chairs the Regional Coordinating Council and the Regional Security Council, has declared that from today, Wednesday, until next month, no mining activities will be permitted in the Juaben Municipality,” he said.
“What we want to see is the reclamation of pits and the restoration of degraded lands,” he added.