The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has told Parliament that he has issued two licenses authorising the export, sale or disposal of gold since assuming office this year.
He said he issued the licences in connection with large-scale mining operations.
“Mr Speaker, since assuming office as the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, I have issued two licenses authorising the export, sale or disposal of gold in connection with large-scale operations,” he said.
Mr Buah disclosed this on the floor of Parliament last Wednesday when he responded to a question by the member of Parliament for Juaben, Francis Kwabena Owusu Akyaw, who asked the minister whether the ministry had signed licenses for the purchase and export of gold since he assumed office.
REDD+ programme
The MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, also asked the minister whether cocoa farms or crops had been selected as a preserve of only the Forestry Commission in the REDD+ programme and the justification for that.
Answering, Mr Buah said the idea of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programme emerged from global efforts to address climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Under the REDD+ programme, he said, cocoa farms were not reserved for the Forestry Commission alone.
“The REDD+ programme, particularly the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme (GCFRP), is a collaborative effort that empowers farmers, private sector actors and communities to participate in sustainable cocoa production and forest conservation.
“The Forestry Commission's role is, therefore, regulatory and facilitative,” he said.
Reclaimed mined-out sites
The MP for Fanteakwa South, Duke Ofori-Atta, also asked the minister how the Forestry Commission planned to ensure the successful establishment of 12,000 hectares of forest plantations and 500 hectares of reclaimed mined-out sites under the 2025 robust Afforestation and Reforestation (ARR) programme.
Responding, Mr Buah said the afforestation and reforestation interventions this year were being undertaken under the government’s flagship Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative.
He stated that the components of the Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative included the Modified Taungya System (MTS), under which a total of 5,895.3 hectares had been developed as of the end of August 2025.
“Planting is ongoing across the country and it is envisaged that the Modified Taungya System target of 10,000 hectares will be attained by the end of the Tree Planting Season,” he said.
