Ghana’s Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, during a visit to the Chinese city of Longyan, urged mining companies in his country to adopt more environmentally responsible practices. He cited the approach of China’s Zijin Mining Group to land reclamation and environmental conservation at the Zijinshan open-pit gold-copper mine in Fujian Province as an example.
As MyJoyOnline reports, the minister visited the facility on September 7, 2026. According to him, mineral extraction can be combined with environmental restoration, biodiversity conservation and tourism development.
Reclaimed areas
At the Zijinshan mine, mining operations have been combined with an environmental and tourism complex created on reclaimed land. It includes a botanical garden, tea and fruit gardens, an ecological farm and other facilities for environmental education and tourism.
The botanical garden on Zijinshan Mountain was created on a site previously used for mining. The company also uses plant selection and water resource management measures to restore local flora and increase the environmental value of reclaimed land. In addition, Zijin protects certain endemic and valuable plant species in botanical gardens and special protected areas.
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Proposals for Ghana’s mining industry
Buah said that Ghanaian mining companies should include the construction and maintenance of road networks, protection of water bodies, nature conservation and land restoration after mining in their operations. He separately drew attention to the condition of roads leading to mining communities and the need to protect water bodies.
The minister noted that Zijin Mining Group, which has been operating in Ghana for about two years, could help introduce some of the environmental practices developed in China in the country. The company’s model combines geological exploration, mining, processing or beneficiation of mineral raw materials, metallurgy and environmental protection.
Zijin Mining Group President Lin Hongfu spoke during the visit about the company’s development over three decades. According to him, Zijin’s international expansion was facilitated by technical and geological expertise, investment in modern technologies, financial investments at all stages of mining production, as well as efforts to maintain competitiveness in the global market.