{
  "id": 18259928,
  "title": "Armah-Kofi Buah raises alarm over destruction of about 9,000 hectares of forest",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/armah-kofi-buah-raises-alarm-over-destruction-of-about-9-000-hectares",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-05T05:58:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Chronicle Ghana",
    "slug": "the-chronicle-ghana",
    "url": "https://thechronicle.com.gh/armah-kofi-buah-raises-alarm-over-destruction-of-about-9000-hectares-of-forest/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah expressed concern over the destruction of approximately 9,000 hectares of forest in Ghana due to illegal mining activities. The scale of the forest degradation poses a serious environmental crisis, threatening the country's natural resources, water security, and the livelihoods of communities. At a seminar for Geological Engineering students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Buah emphasized the urgent need for collective efforts to protect Ghana's forests and water bodies. The Western and Western North regions have been particularly affected by illegal mining, also known as galamsey, which has caused significant pollution of the Pra and Ankobra rivers. Buah stressed that responsible mining practices and stronger measures are needed to safeguard the environment while allowing for economic development. The government is working on a new Mining Act to introduce reforms such as a five-year limit on mineral exploration licenses, subject to stringent conditions, to prevent idle holding of land. Companies failing to discover commercially viable minerals within the time frame would be required to return the land for other uses. The Minister also announced plans to introduce mandatory community development agreements in mining lease arrangements to ensure that local communities benefit from mineral extraction.",
  "summary": "The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has raised alarm over the destruction of about 9,000 hectares of forest through illegal mining activities in Ghana. He described the scale of forest destruction as a serious environmental crisis, warning that the development poses a significant threat to the country’s natural resources. The Minister […] The post Armah-Kofi…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}