The Coalition of NGOs and Concerned Citizens Against Mining in Atewa Forest wants the government to demonstrate that the Atewa Forest will not be mined as part of an agreement between Ghana and China.

Their call follows an article by the Spokesperson for the Vice President, Dr Gideon Boako, on November 19, 2019.

“We would like to thank Dr Boako for this crucial information, alluding to the exclusion of Atewa, a move that we have been calling for, all along. Thank you for stating it so succinctly. The campaign to remove Atewa Forest from the bauxite agreement has always made this very practical and economically relevant point that bauxite reserves in the Atewa Forest are small compared to other locations, and so Atewa Forest should be excluded from the bauxite deal. We are grateful to Dr Boako for affirming our position with such clarity and precision. We are happy to observe that the Vice President’s Spokesperson has listened to the voices of the reason of Ghanaians, home and abroad, to share this crucial information.

“However, if indeed Nyinahini is the obvious choice over Atewa Forest for the bauxite development project, why then do we still see bulldozers in Atewa Forest undertaking stock surveys and assessing the expected damage to tree species from bauxite mining, and all with the participation of Forestry Commission staff? Why did GIADEC, in a recent meeting with the Concerned Citizens of Atewa Forest, make it clear that there are five mountains in Atewa Forest Reserve identified for mining bauxite, and that they would begin in the Asiakwa area?,” the NGOs asked in a press statement.

Read the full statement below.