Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama has called for an end to illegal mining activities on cocoa farms, in response to the ongoing threat posed to cocoa farming in the country due to unauthorised mining activities.

During a meeting with cocoa farmers in Kumasi on February 9, the former President put forth a proposal for the enactment of a legislation aimed at safeguarding economic trees, including cocoa from the threats posed by illegal mining.

“We will check the menace of galamsey on cocoa trees, and one of the suggestions that have come is to pass a law on the destruction of economic trees, which would include cocoa, and so if somebody wilfully enters a cocoa farm and destroys it because he is mining gold or whatever he’s mining, he commits an offence unless he has properly got the permit and compensation has been calculated properly before anything like that can happen,” he said.

He underscored the importance of empowering traditional authorities to play a key role in the issuance of mining licenses, particularly to safeguard forests.

“We have to involve the traditional authorities to help protect the forests, all natural resources are for the government but there is a need for new laws that will ensure the traditional authorities have a say in granting entry permits into the forests,” he said.

Highlighting the need for new laws, the NDC flagbearer for the 2024 general elections stressed that traditional authorities should actively participate in forest conservation and sanitation efforts, asserting that anyone entering the forest to cut down trees without permission from chiefs should face legal consequences.