The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah has on Thursday 26 March 2026 called on the Jira Yagbonwura Bii Kunuto Jewu Soale (I), the king and overlord of the Gonjaland at his palace.
Speaking to the media, Hon. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah mentioned that they came in to get the Yagbonwura’s blessings for the mining tour they are embarking in the Savannah region and to also seek for his support for the fight against illegal mining and the proposals that the President John Mahama has done to bring the responsible cooperative mining to the young people in the Savannah region.
The Minister for land and natural resources indicated that the Yagbonwura is fully in support of it and we are very grateful and also we are taking steps to engage our young people to identify minerals areas for them to mine responsibly in a way to make sure that we don’t destroy our water bodies and our lands.
I am very grateful that the Yagbonwura has been very supportive in this initiative and we have also discussed the need to protect our forest and he is also very clear to support in preserving and also make sure we plant trees.
Hon. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah added that very soon they will be bringing in the new mining law to Parliament and that mining law in it we have what we call the district mining committee, going forward the approval of licences will not be an Accra business so it starts with the district.
The recommendation for mining licenses will be at the district level and it is intended to power our communities those who are close to minerals resources must have a say and must be empowered and must be given the tools to do the mining.
Speaking on behalf of the Yagbonwura, the Mankpanwura, Jakpa Achorede Borenyi I, acknowledged the rich natural resource base of Gonjaland, including deposits of gold, lithium, and clinker.
The Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom raised concerns over rising youth unemployment, attributing it as a key driver of illegal mining and logging activities in the area.
He urged government to expand opportunities in legal mining and other sectors to ensure sustainable livelihoods for the youth.
The Yagbonwura further assured the Minister of the his commitment and full support for government policies and reaffirmed the kingdom’s commitment to national development.
Mr. Armah Kofi-Buah was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Deputy Minister Yusif Sulemana, Chief Director Innocent Marcos Alega, Minerals Commission Director Isaac Tandom, and Forestry Commission Technical Director Joseph Kwesi Acquah.
Source Diwura Abdul Fataw
