Ghana has banned mining in forest reserves to strengthen environmental protections, safeguard water bodies, and halt deforestation, the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology said.
The move targets poorly regulated small-scale mining that has destroyed cocoa farms, degraded forests and rivers, and raised sustainability concerns for the mining sector, sparking protests, according to Reuters.
Industrial miners, including Gold Fields (GFIJ.J), AngloGold Ashanti (AU.N), Newmont (NEM.N), and Asante Gold (ASE.V), have faced frequent incursions by illegal operators, prompting investments in security systems, drones, and community engagement programs.
Illegal mining now spans 13 of Ghana’s 16 regions, including key cocoa belts in Ashanti, Western, and Eastern regions.
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The Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations of 2022, which allowed controlled mining, have now been repealed after a 21-day constitutional period.
“Healthy forests bring rainfall, protect our farms, and give life to our communities. Clean rivers secure our drinking water and our future,” Acting Environment Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah said.
Environmental advocates called the repeal a major policy shift after nearly 90% of reserves had been opened to mining.
Daryl Mensah-Bonsu of Da Rocha Ghana said, “The repeal alone will not be the panacea … We now have an opportunity to address teething issues of encroachment from logging and farming and to put in place a national forest development programme to restore and grow our forests to serve present and future generations.”
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Image Credit: Mining.com
