{
  "id": 3718007,
  "title": "Miners must reclaim degraded lands after operations – Mahama Ayariga",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/miners-must-reclaim-degraded-lands-after-operations-mahama-ayariga",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-27T10:51:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Adom Online",
    "slug": "adom-online",
    "url": "https://www.adomonline.com/miners-must-reclaim-degraded-lands-after-operations-mahama-ayariga/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ghana's Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has urged small-scale miners to undertake land restoration following the conclusion of mining activities. During a vetting session before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Thursday, August 27, Ayariga emphasized the need for stronger monitoring and enforcement to promote responsible and lawful mining practices. He advocated for increased funding to bolster the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minerals Commission, with the aim of enhancing their ability to oversee mining operations nationwide. \"Let's increase investment in EPA and have a lot of people at the EPA, let's invest in the Minerals Commission and have a lot of mining engineers who identify every district and every single space where mining activity is taking place,\" Ayariga stated. According to Ayariga, enhanced monitoring would enable authorities to monitor mining activities, ensure compliance with regulations, and hold operators accountable for environmental degradation. He stressed that miners would be responsible for restoring the lands impacted by their operations, stating that \"whoever that carries out that activity will reclaim the area and plant and make sure that they restore the area to what it was.\" Ayariga proposed this approach as a means to balance effective regulation with land reclamation and environmental restoration, aiming to minimize the long-term impact of mining on communities and the environment.",
  "summary": "Minister-designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has called for small-scale miners to be required to restore lands degraded by their activities once mining operations are completed. Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Thursday, August 27, Mr Ayariga said stronger monitoring and enforcement were needed to ensure…",
  "key_points": [
    "Mahama Ayariga urges small-scale miners to restore degraded lands post-mining.",
    "Calls for stronger monitoring, enforcement, and funding for EPA and Minerals Commission.",
    "Advocates for miners to reclaim impacted areas and restore to original state."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "Mahama Ayariga officially confirms marriage to Sunyani West MP (Video+Photo)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/mahama-ayariga-officially-confirms-marriage-to-sunyani-west-mp-video",
        "published": "2026-08-27T12:21:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Who’s Millicent Amankwah Yeboah, the 34-year-old first time MP married to Mahama Ayariga?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/whos-millicent-amankwah-yeboah-the-34-year-old-first-time-mp-married",
        "published": "2026-08-27T13:08:21.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}