Illegal mining threatening Ghana’s relations with neighbouring countries – Zanetor

The escalating illegal mining activities in Ghana are threatening the diplomatic relations between the country and its immediate neighbours in the West Africa sub-region.

Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology, who made this known, said the continued pollution of shared river systems by illegal mining activities in Ghana had been of grave concern to the immediate neighbours of Ghana.

She cautioned that, the contamination of critical trans-boundary rivers, such as the Tano and Bia, which could cause toxic waters to spill across Ghana’s borders into Côte d’Ivoire, was elevating illegal mining from an environmental crisis to a severe threat to regional diplomacy and national security.

Addressing a national conference on small-scale mining for Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Kumasi, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings stressed that the situation demanded immediate, coordinated action from the government, traditional leaders, security agencies, and local communities to address the illegal mining menace.

She further noted that illegal mining was fueling broader security crises, warning that illicit proceeds from these activities were allegedly being used to finance violent extremism and terrorism in parts of the Sahel region.

According to her, Ghana cannot afford to let complacency or silence render the nation complicit in activities that jeopardised security across the sub-region.

Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings also warned that the destruction of forests and the toxic pollution of water bodies were severely undermining the country’s food security and exposing future generations to grave health hazards.

She emphasised that Ghana must not prioritise gold production at the catastrophic expense of agriculture, water security, and other vital economic sectors.

The minister cautioned that impending weather anomalies, compounded by the escalating impacts of climate change, could severely exacerbate the nation’s environmental challenges, particularly as rainfall patterns become increasingly erratic and temperatures rise.

Highlighting the crucial role of forests, she stressed that trees were vital for regulating temperatures, sustaining local climates, and supporting life, warning that their reckless destruction through illegal mining would only accelerate environmental degradation.

Citing scientific evidence, she pointed to research on the Odaw River in the Ashanti Region, which underscored the severe pollution driven by illicit mining activities.

She also referenced assessments by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its partners, which identified hazardous levels of toxic heavy metals, including mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium, in mining-impacted environments.

Drawing on her background as a medical doctor, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings expressed profound concern over the public health implications of this pollution, particularly for children, pregnant women, and newborns.

She warned that toxic runoff could jeopardise communities far beyond the immediate mining sites, noting that contaminated boreholes miles away often served as the primary drinking water sources for school children.

The minister warned of catastrophic consequences for future generations if decisive and immediate measures were not implemented to halt this crisis.

Turning her focus to local government authorities, she identified MMDCEs as pivotal frontline actors in the fight against illegal mining, asserting that this battle cannot be won through centralised directives from Accra alone.

She reminded the MMDCEs of their statutory obligations under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) and urged them to take the lead in the fight against the menace.

Mr Armah Kofi Buah, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, said the government implementing sweeping reforms in the mining sector to help decentralised licensing regimes to strengthen community participation and effectively address illegal mining activities.