CSOs kick against attempt to mine in Kakum National Park

Some civil society organisations (CSOs) in the country have vehemently kicked against the attempt by a mining firm to mine in the Kakum National Park in the Central Region.

The move follows an application by the High Street Ghana Limited to the Minerals Commission for a license to mine in the Kakum National Park; a process which is currently at a validation stage.

The application by High Street Ghana Limited is among 14 applications received by the Minerals Commission from firms to mine in some forest reserves across the country.

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement on the new Regulation on Mining in Ghana’s Forest Reserves (LI 2462) 2022 on Thursday (9 November) director of Nature and Development Foundation, Mustapha Seidu warned that failure to scrap the Legislative Instrument  (LI 2462) will lead to wanton destruction of the country’s forest.

“As we speak, there are 14 more applications under different stages of consideration by the Minerals Commission including an application by High Street Ghana Limited to mine in the Kakum National Park.

“That application is under the validation stage and according to the concession map provided, it will cover about 24% of the reserve. So in all, there are about 15 forest reserves that the license will cover.”

“This LI now needs the immediate attention of all stakeholders. I dare say that we already have enough on our hands with respect to the destruction of forests by illegal miners.

“If in less than one year of coming into force of LI 2462, we are seeing this massive legal destruction of our forest, we can imagine what will happen in the next five years or decade,” Seidu said.

Listen to the full speech in the attached video clip below: 

Background

In November 2022, a new Legal Instrument LI 2462 ‘Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations’ was passed. Civil society only became aware of this clandestine action by the EPA and government in March 2023.

Under the Right to Information Act, concerned civil society organisations have sent requests to relevant public institutions for information on the process that led to LI 2462, but responses have been either limited or absent. Ghanaians, especially the rural communities, need to know what this LI entails and how it may affect them.”

While the 2018 ‘Environmental Guidelines for Mining in Production Forest Reserves in Ghana’ that preceded the LI allowed a maximum of 2% of the production areas of forest reserves to be mined, the new regulations have no such restriction.

Consequently, after the LI was passed, mining permits covering large portions of forest reserves have been granted, including Nkrabia, Boin Tano, Anhwiaso East, and Tano Anwi, the NGO’s alleged.

Reporting by Fred Dzakpata in Accra

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