Stakeholders Slam Government's "Mining Over People" Policy
At a multi-stakeholder forum held in Accra, civil society organizations, regulatory bodies, community representatives, and traditional leaders condemned the government's compulsory land acquisition practices for mining operations. Organized by A Rocha Ghana, Wacam, the Centre for Public Interest Law, Merton and Everett, and Oxfam, the event focused on how governmental eminent domain powers are allegedly misused to benefit multinational mining corporations rather than serve public interest.
Participants from affected communities in Tano North and Nzema reported inadequate community engagement and procedural failures. Nana Aka Nwonza, Divisional Chief of Bakata, noted that companies would storm community lands to operate commercial mining projects without proper notification to local leaders. A representative of the Concerned Farmers Association–Terchire described how farmers lost livelihoods when their land was transferred to a mining company.
Stakeholders called for meaningful community engagement, proper compensation packages, and adherence to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) protocols, urging government to balance economic development with citizens' property rights under the 1992 Constitution and the Lands Act, 2020.