Unified Technology Agricultural Program AFRICA (UTAPAFRICA) have expressed concerns about the rising degradation of farmlands in the Arigu community and its environment.
Unified Technology and Agricultural Program Africa aims to foster breakthroughs in traditional areas like farming and afforestation.
It helps to improve water storage and environmental improvement through aforestation along the White Volta river etc. We research and scale holder agribusiness and our continued educational opportunities for young people in communities.
Sand winners at Arigu are now carrying out their nefarious activities in the community without their arrest.
This is seriously negating efforts by UTAPAFRICA to address the problem of persistent deforestation invasion of rural areas.
The Director of Environmental Protection and Agricultural UTAPAFRICA, Mr George A. Kanzoni and Mr Sulemana Ayariga,Director Audit and Monitoring UTAPAFRICA, expressed concerns over the situation when they paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Arigu in West Mamprusi Municipality in Northeast Region of Ghana, it was their six days tour in West Mamprusi Municipal to select locations for community Dams and to secure land for trees planting. Upon their feasibility studies, a portion of the earmarked land was used for sand weaning.
Director Environmental Protection and Agricultural, Mr Goerge Kanzoni, In a meeting with Chief and his Elders said the trend had opened the area to severe environmental invasions with subsequent humanitarian crises on epic proportions in the Community. Mr George Kanzoni called for concerted efforts to deal with the menace before the phenomena before its gets out of hand. The sand weaners, who operates with heavy-duty trucks and other equipment.
he revealed that, it has destroyed a vast portion of land in the Arigu community within the past few months.
The Audit and Monitoring Director, Mr Sulemana Ayariga warned the Community Authority to take a firm stance to deal ruthlessly and swiftly with the people behind the illegal sand weaning business, who he said were driven by their selfish desire for money without recourse to their activities to the community source of livelihood.
It had also emerged during their discussion with the Youth of Arigu that the rate at which the Community members cut trees, specially shea trees for charcoal were also depleting the forest in the Community with impunity.
Members of the ‘Youth Group’ are said to conved their concerns to the NGO and Municipal Assembly for necessary action before things get out of hand.
Mr George Kanzoni observed that Arigu, with its resources and natural settings, was ideal for echo-tourism and the tapping of that potential depended largely on the protection of the environment. For this reason, UTAPAFRICA in partnership with the Youth groups set up a task force to fight the activities of those who were degrading the environment.
According to Mr George Kanzoni, a report from them after their fourth day in the matter, took a legal action with the consultation of Municipal Chief Executive and Environmental Protection Agency in the Municipal halted an ongoing sand weaning operation in the Community.
Mr, Sulemana Ayariga said the UTAPAFRICA would work hard in hand with the EPA to deal with the sand weaning activities and those engaged in cutting trees illegal in the Community and its environmens.
The Director Environmental Protection and Agricultural, Mr George A. Kanzoni, said the NGO will do its duty to protect the environment and to ensure that perpetrators of environmental crimes face the full rigors of the law.
Mr George A. Kanzoni and Sulemana Ayariga tour also took them to some natural lakes which UTAPAFRICA seeks to expand for irrigation purposes and other agricultural uses.
They also visited the Arigu rock Quarry and Mawums Quarry to educate them on environment issues.