The German Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, has urged the government to put an end to illegal mining in the country.

Speaking after a tree planting ceremony at the German Embassy gardens earlier on Friday, the German Ambassador to Ghana said illegal mining should not be allowed to prevail.

He, therefore, asked the government to live up to the expectation and tackle the menace.

“I hope this government will live up to its own aim in this regard. You said it is illegal mining. So if it's illegal then it shouldn't take place. So in a country that is based on a rule like Ghana, then illegal activities should be stopped,” he said.

His comments come after European Union enforces a law, which makes it impossible for Cocoa to be sold in Europe unless suppliers certify that a product does not come from deforested land.

According to him, “The EU regulations on forestry and deforestation are being discussed a lot in the cocoa sector and understand there are some areas that might be affected and I am to have to find an answer to that but I mean that's the idea of this regulation, to try to have an impact on the deforestation which we need to stop.”

He went on to say planting trees is not enough measure to tackle deforestation, however, there should be action against deforestation.

“We need both we need planting trees, identifying areas for forestry not only in the countryside, but also in the urban areas are very important for recreational areas as mentioned by Prof Boateng earlier.”