Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Simon Osei-Mensah has been appointed to chair the Local Steering Committee for the implementation of the Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining project (GLASSMP) for the southern sector.
The project which is aimed at strengthening landscape management, as well as formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining and increase benefit to communities in the degraded savannah and cocoa forest areas is under two ministries.
The Environmental Protection Agency under the auspices of the Ministry of Environmental, Science and Technology and Innovation (MESTI) is implementing the Land Scape Restoration component of the project while the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources through the Minerals Commission is also implementing the Small-Scale Mining component.
Inaugurating the committee on 27 June 2023 at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu, the Executive Director of Environmental Protection Agency, noted that the project is funded by the World Bank / International Development Association credit with leveraged grant financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF)ͨ, the PROGREEN Trust Fund and the Extractives Global Programmatic Support Trust Fund.
According to him, the committee will among others be responsible for supervising and coordinating the activities of local implementing agencies at the target areas, provide advice on local issues affecting implementation of project as well as responding to issues raised by local implementing agencies. The committee will facilitate sharing of lessons between project districts.
The committee is made up of the MDCEs of the 14 beneficiary districts, Regional Coordinating Directors of the 4 Regions where the beneficiary districts are located as well as 7 representatives from departments constituting the technical coordinating members.
Hon. Simon Osei-Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister and chairman of the committee noted that the committee under his leadership will do its best in ensuring that the project is successful.
The inauguration was chaired by Dr. Francess Dufie Azumah.