By Juliet Aguiar DUGBARTEY, Takoradi
Betterland Ghana Limited (BGL), a wholly Ghanaian-owned mining company, has reclaimed about 24 hectares of degraded land caused by illegal mining in the Apramprama Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.
In partnership with Unipower Company, BGL has planted about 1,000 species of various trees to restore the degraded forest reserve to its natural state.
David Thomas, BGL Project Director, disclosed this during a media engagement in Takoradi to share the company’s success story on the Apramprama Forest Reserve Reclamation Project.
He explained: “The project is a free gift to the state as a demonstration of our ability to carry out similar project anywhere in Ghana”.
He advocated a sustained policy to reclaim degraded lands which have been destroyed by illegal miners to restore Ghana’s forest reserves and also promote future mining prospects.
“We want to show that land reclamation can be done correctly,” he added.
Mr. Thomas mentioned that the reclamation on the forest reserve began in October 2023 on 10 hectares; and the Chief Executive Officer of BGL, Issac Osei, extended it to 20 hectares. “Now, we are almost getting to 24 hectares, due to the success story.”
“At least 150 hectares needs to be done. We are sustainable miners and want to demonstrate that when we get permit for mining activity at the Draw River Forest Reserve at Gwira in the Nzema area of the Western Region, we can protect it because we understand how to do it properly,” he said.
According to him, BGL accepted the Apramprama Forest Reserve challenge to demonstrate the positive side of mining through reclamation.
He pointed out that most people are hesitant to invest in mining due to perceived risks. “But for BGL, after receiving a full mining permit in the Nzema area, we hope to become the future gold supplier of Africa and a net global exporter,” he said.
Isaac Osei, Chief Executive of BGL, maintained that BGL’s reclamation project is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility agreement.
“We are restoring degraded lands, we have the ability and passion for it and we can do it better,” he concluded.
