Zijin partners MIIF to restore degraded forest reserves

Zijin Golden Ridge Limited has partnered the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) to support efforts to restore degraded forest reserves in Ghana. 

The partnership forms part of MIIF’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives, which seek to promote environmental sustainability and align the Fund’s operations with global ESG standards.  

As part of the initiative, MIIF is implementing a reforestation project in the Subri Forest Reserve in the Western Region, in collaboration with the Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana. 

At a meeting in Accra to formalise the partnership, the Senior Sustainability and External Relations Manager of Zijin Golden Ridge Limited, Mr. Derek Boateng, commended MIIF for the initiative and expressed the company’s commitment to supporting efforts to address the degradation of Ghana’s forest cover. 

“Environmental degradation is on the ascendency, and we want to join hands to help address it. Your ESG initiative is noble, and we need to support it. So we want to collaborate and will continue to collaborate. I commend you for this initiative,” he said. 

Explaining the rationale behind the company’s decision to partner MIIF, Mr. Boateng said the initiative aligned with one of Zijin’s core values. “Zijin is a leader in ESG, and green is one of our values. We want to stamp our mark in this space,” he stated. 

Zijin commenced mining operations in Ghana in 2025 after acquiring Newmont’s Akyem mine for US$1 billion. As part of its ESG activities to fulfill a requirement under the company’s Environmental Permit and MOU with the Government of Ghana, Zijin has reforested 317 acres of land within the Ajenjua Bepo and Kweikaro Forest Reserves. The combined area represents about three times the company’s mining footprint. 

The partnership with MIIF to reforest portions of the Subri Forest Reserve will further expand the company’s biodiversity conservation efforts. 

The Chief Executive Officer of MIIF, Mrs. Justina Nelson, welcomed the partnership, noting that restoring Ghana’s forest cover was critical to protecting livelihoods, particularly those of communities in mineral-rich areas. 

“Biodiversity, we know, has been affected by illegal mining activities, which has become a topical issue. We, at MIIF, have decided to help restore the degraded environment through our ESG initiative,” she said. 

Mrs. Nelson expressed the hope that the partnership would deepen collaboration between the two organisations. 

“I would love for the partnership to be strengthened not just on the ESG front but also on investment in the mining value chains,” she added. 

The reforestation project in the Subri Forest Reserve is one of MIIF’s key ESG initiatives. The project is being implemented with support from the Forestry Commission, which has allocated 50 hectares of land to the Fund for reforestation. 

The Head of Compliance and ESG at MIIF, Mr. Solomon Dawson, also highlighted the importance of the partnership, saying it would contribute to the Fund’s ESG targets while delivering socio-economic benefits to communities around the forest reserve. 

“This year, we identified the Subri Forest as an area that needed our attention. We are happy to have Zijin on board. Your partnership will go a long way in meeting the ESG targets that we have set for ourselves,” he said. 

He added that the project would generate significant socio-economic benefits for communities within the Subri Forest area.