President John Dramani Mahama has revealed plans by his administration to fight illegal mining popularly known as galamsey and climate change. Delivering the State of the Nation address on Thursday Feb. 27, the President revealed that, illegal mining, commonly known as 'Galamsey,' has inflicted tremendous harm on the country's forests, leading to significant land degradation and the pollution of vital water sources. "This reckless activity threatens Ghana's environment and public health. Presently, 44 of the country's 288 forest reserves have been impacted, an area that is alarmingly equivalent to approximately 7,504 football pitches", he said. He said the pollution levels in major rivers within the Southwestern Basin are critically high, with turbidity levels far exceeding permissible limits. "To combat this urgent crisis, we are implementing a proactive approach that includes robust and impartial law enforcement, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and the creation of alternative livelihood programmes", he said. President Mahama said, his government is also expanding the Minerals Commission's regional offices to strengthen regulatory oversight. We are establishing a framework that categorises mining activities into small, medium, and large-scale operations, each with tailored regulations. "Establishing a Gold Board will ensure effective governance of the gold industry. At the same time, we wish to take advantage of Ghana's salt production capacity to place it as a central export commodity under the AfCFTA"' he said President Mahama revealed that, government is also seizing opportunities presented by the global shift towards net-zero emissions to craft policies related to critical minerals such as lithium. He said, the anticipated development of integrated aluminium and iron industries will significantly increase the value of Ghana's natural resources. "In our commitment to restoring degraded forests, we will launch the 'Tree for Life' restoration policy and the Blue Water Initiative, which will transform mined-out areas into ecological recovery zones". "This ambitious afforestation programme aims to establish 20,000 hectares of new plantations and undertake 5,000 hectares of enrichment planting annually. We will also implement public sensitisation campaigns to foster sustainable forest management practices and uphold the Wildlife Resources Management Act", the President assures. He said comprehensive reforms will be introduced to enhance transparency and efficiency while ensuring tenure security in land administration. "Mr. Speaker, climate change remains a pressing concern for Ghana and the global community. To meet our climate mitigation targets, Ghana has allocated 24 million metric tonnes of its carbon budget—totalling 64 million metric tonnes—for authorisation under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement", he said. He said the government has successfully authorised three projects that are poised to reduce 5.2 million tonnes of carbon emissions. "In line with the National Democratic Congress's 2024 Manifesto, we are committed to strengthening institutional and human capacity through necessary adaptation and mitigation measures to bolster resilience in critical sectors such as agriculture, forestry, energy, and water resources". "We also pledge to align our national policies with international efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2050 and promote a fair and just transition to renewable energy sources", he added.