Omanghana
Ghana’s Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has warned that illegal mining is threatening the country’s relations with its neighbors, as well as public health and regional security.
Speaking at a national conference on illegal small-scale mining in Kumasi, the minister called for coordinated action to address the damage caused by the practice, commonly known as galamsey.
The conference brought together metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives and other stakeholders on November 2 to discuss the response to illegal mining.
Pollution of shared rivers
Agyeman-Rawlings raised concern about pollution in the Tano and Bia rivers, which Ghana shares with Côte d’Ivoire. She warned that contaminated water could cross the border and strain relations between the two countries. end beyond rivers, with illegal mining also damaging forests and farmland and threatening communities that rely on natural resources for their livelihoods.
Health and security concerns
Citing assessments by the Environmental Protection Authority and its partners, Agyeman-Rawlings said mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium had been found at dangerous levels in some mining-affected areas.
She warned that exposure could affect people through water and food, with children and pregnant women among those facing particular risks. Mercury released during gold processing can contaminate soil and water and enter the food chain, according to the planetGOLD Ghana project.
The minister also warned that proceeds from illegal mining were allegedly helping to finance terrorism and violent extremism in parts of the Sahel. Public reports of her remarks did not identify the transactions or groups involved.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has documented armed groups’ involvement in the gold trade in parts of the Sahel, although its assessment does not establish a link to a particular mining operation in Ghana.
Call for coordinated action
Agyeman-Rawlings urged local authorities, security agencies, traditional leaders and communities to work together to identify illegal mining activities and prevent further destruction.
At the same conference, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah called for district-level coordination involving regulators, security agencies and community representatives. He said local assemblies should support enforcement with information, community engagement and follow-up monitoring.
Source: Omanghana
