The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has warned that Ghana’s forest reserves will be a no-go area for individuals seeking to carry out mining activities under the next NDC government.

He emphasised that the exploration of mineral resources must not come at the expense of preserving the country’s vegetative cover.

He pledged to promote responsible mining and ensure that water bodies polluted by illegal mining activities are restored to their previous state.

Making the remarks during a public lecture at the Christian Service University in Kumasi, the former president said the country’s forest reserves are more precious than any minerals that lie underneath them and will not tolerate any actions that will deplete them.

“I will ban all mining in forest reserves because I believe that many of the trees in the reserves, which are more than 700 years old, are more precious assets than any mineral that lies beneath them.”