IN 2022, Ghana saw 18,000 hectares of forest disappear—an area roughly the size of 30,000 football fields. Despite these troubling deforestation rates, the Ghanaian government has introduced measures that could put its protected woodlands at even greater risk. In November 2022, the government enacted legislation that allowed mineral extraction in critical biodiversity areas, simplifying the process for obtaining mining permits, even within forest reserves.
According to an investigative report by environmental news outlet Mongabay, this move has raised concerns among environmentalists who argue that industrial-scale mining, rather than small-scale artisanal mining, poses a significant and often overlooked threat to Ghana’s forests. From 2000 to 2019, industrial mining was the leading cause of forest loss in Ghana, placing it in the same category as global deforestation hotspots like Indonesia and Brazil.
Data from Ghana’s Mineral Commission, analysed by Mongabay, reveals that there are currently 200 active mining licences overlapping with forest reserves in Ghana. Alarmingly, three-quarters of these licences are for industrial operations, impacting more than a third of the country’s 266 reserves. Since the legislative changes were enacted, the government has been issuing mining permits at an unprecedented rate, exacerbating fears that the nation’s forests are more vulnerable than ever.
The impact on Apamprama Forest Reserve
The situation in Ghana’s Apamprama Forest Reserve illustrates the severity of the threat posed by expanded mining activities. Located in the Ashanti region, Apamprama has lost a third of its forest cover—3,630 hectares—over the past two decades, with most of the destruction occurring in the last five years. The situation worsened after Heritage Imperial Company Limited was granted a concession to prospect for gold in 2018. By 2020, the company had secured a full-scale industrial mining license, leading to widespread deforestation.
Local residents and environmental activists accuse Heritage Imperial of engaging in illegal mining activities even before it obtained the necessary permits. According to journalist Erastus Asare Donkor, the company, led by Ghanaian businessman Donald Emmanuel Entsuah, has allowed destructive mining practices to flourish within the reserve, often involving foreign nationals and heavy machinery.
The company’s actions have devastated the forest, and by 2023, the reserve was almost entirely stripped of its tree cover. Heritage Imperial did not respond to requests for comment, leaving the accusations unchallenged.
Focus on small-scale miners ignores larger threats
Ghana’s government has long focused its efforts on combating illegal small-scale mining, known locally as galamsey, which is often carried out by impoverished citizens using rudimentary tools. However, experts argue that this focus on galamsey ignores the more significant environmental damage caused by large-scale, often state-sanctioned, mining operations.
Jasper Abembia Ayelazuno, a social scientist at Ghana’s University for Development Studies, points out that the government has historically favoured industrial mining while cracking down on small-scale miners. This approach, he argues, overlooks the fact that modern galamsey has become more mechanised and industrialised, often with the backing of wealthy and politically connected individuals.
‘The distinction between artisanal and large-scale mining is becoming increasingly blurred,’ Ayelazuno tells Mongabay. ‘Today’s galamsey is more about well-established, elite players using advanced machinery, rather than poor individuals scraping by.’
The combined impact of state-approved large-scale mining and the so-called ‘elite galamsey’ has been disastrous for Ghana’s forests. The introduction of heavy machinery and the construction of new roads into forested areas have led to widespread deforestation, habitat destruction, and the degradation of water bodies.
Political connections and impunity
Environmentalists argue that companies like Heritage Imperial are able to operate with impunity because of their connections to Ghana’s political elite. In 2017, the government launched Operation Vanguard, a militarised effort to crack down on galamsey. However, critics argue that the operation has disproportionately targeted small-scale miners while allowing larger companies to continue their destructive practices.
One of the most controversial episodes occurred in 2018, when the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, led by then-Environment Minister Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, confiscated equipment belonging to Heritage Imperial in the Apamprama reserve. Frimpong-Boateng later alleged that the company was conducting full-scale mining operations despite only having a prospecting licence at the time.
The involvement of high-profile figures, such as Gabby Otchere Darko—a relative of President Nana Akufo-Addo—further complicates the issue. Darko, who represented Heritage Imperial through his law firm, defended his role by claiming he was simply seeking information on behalf of a legitimate client. However, these connections have fuelled suspicions that powerful interests are shielding companies engaged in illegal mining.
Expanding mining threatens more forest reserves
The legislative changes enacted in November 2022 have led to a surge in new mining permits, with the Ghanaian government issuing more industrial exploitation licences in the first half of 2023 than in the previous two years combined. Many of these permits are for gold mining in ecologically sensitive areas, including the Atewa Range, a designated Globally Significant Biodiversity Area.
Atewa is one of only two forest reserves in Ghana where upland evergreen forests are found. It is home to over 1,000 plant species and 550 types of butterflies, making it a critical habitat for biodiversity. Despite its ecological importance, several companies, including Xtra Gold Mining Limited and the state-owned Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation, hold concessions within Atewa, sparking ongoing campaigns to prevent mining in the region.
The expansion of mining is not limited to gold. With the global demand for transition minerals like lithium increasing, Ghana has begun issuing prospecting licences for lithium extraction. Environmentalists warn that the push to exploit these resources could further degrade the country’s forests.
A desperate economic measure
Ghana’s reliance on natural resource extraction, particularly gold, has long been a double-edged sword. While gold has been central to the economy, it has also driven environmental destruction and contributed to the country’s economic vulnerabilities. In 2022, Ghana produced 3.7 million ounces of gold, making it the largest producer in Africa. However, the overdependence on gold and other primary commodities like cocoa and crude oil has left the economy brittle.
Ghana’s reliance on natural resource extraction, particularly gold, has long been a double-edged sword
The country’s debt crisis in 2022 forced the government to take drastic measures, including using gold to pay for essential imports like petroleum. This barter system allowed Ghana to preserve its scarce foreign currency reserves but at the cost of accelerating gold extraction.
Political economist Isaac Abotebuno Akolgo argues that this strategy is unsustainable both financially and environmentally. ‘Resorting to natural resource extraction as a quick fix for economic problems is a symptom of governance failure,’ Akolgo tells Mongabay. ‘While it may provide temporary relief, it is not a long-term solution.’
The future of Ghana’s forests
As Ghana pushes forward with its aggressive mining agenda, the fate of its forests hangs in the balance. Environmental activists continue to campaign against the destruction, arguing that national interest should also encompass the preservation of natural resources for future generations. The question remains whether Ghana can balance its economic needs with the urgent necessity to protect its remaining forests.
With more than a third of Ghana’s forest reserves already impacted by mining, the coming years will be critical in determining whether the country can curb the destruction or whether its forests will become a casualty of economic desperation.
