EU-funded study finds heavy metal contamination in Savannah mining communities

An EU-funded study has found elevated levels of heavy metals in soil samples from artisanal and small-scale mining communities in three districts of the Savannah Region, raising concerns about environmental contamination and potential health risks. The baseline studies, conducted under the European Union-funded Gold for Good (G4G) Project, found that cadmium levels exceeded recommended guidelines in all soil samples collected, while mercury concentrations were above recommended limits in about 94 per cent of the samples.

The findings also point to significant gaps in mining regulation and oversight, with only 2.92 per cent of respondents holding mining licences and approximately 74 per cent unaware of the regulations governing mining activities in their communities. The studies covered West Gonja Municipality, Bole District and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District, drawing on a survey of 953 respondents across 30 communities, environmental sampling and the mapping of 94 mining sites.

Despite the environmental and regulatory concerns, households in mining communities recorded average incomes nearly six times higher than those in non-mining communities. The findings were presented at a launch in Accra on Thursday, November 5, where Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, said the evidence should provide a basis for more coordinated action against illegal mining.

“For years, we debated galamsey with great passion and very little data. Today, that changes,” he said. He said the findings, particularly the extent of regulatory unawareness and soil contamination, should prompt stakeholders to take concrete action. Mining and security concerns along Black Volta frontier Team Leader of the Gold for Good Project and Country Director of Coginta Ghana, Rev.

Fr. Dr. Clement Aapengnuo, warned that unregulated mining along the Black Volta tri-border frontier had also become a security concern. He identified migrant networks, cash-based gold trading and armed informal security groups as emerging challenges in areas where state presence is limited. “Enforcement alone will not secure this border. Bringing mining within the law, with communities and traditional authorities as partners, will,” he said.

The studies also identified weak institutional coordination, inadequate enforcement and limited conflict-prevention mechanisms as major challenges affecting mining governance. Women and young people were found to be underrepresented in decision-making, with women largely concentrated in lower-paid mining activities. European Union Ambassador to Ghana, Rune Skinnebach, said the project was intended to support Ghana in building a mining sector that is lawful, environmentally responsible, socially inclusive and economically beneficial to communities.

Findings to guide next phase of project The findings will inform the next phase of the Gold for Good Project, which will focus on strengthening institutional coordination, preventing conflicts, promoting responsible gold sourcing, formalising mining activities and rehabilitating degraded lands. Dollar Power and Tinga have been identified as priority communities for integrated interventions.

The Gold for Good Project is an 18-month initiative funded by the European Union at a cost of €3 million and implemented by Coginta. It operates in West Gonja, Bole and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba in the Savannah Region.