Several civilians society organizations strongly oppose minning in Kakum National Park.

• Several civil society organizations in the country strongly oppose a mining company’s plan to mine within the Kakum National Park in the Central Region.

High Street Ghana Limited has submitted an application to the Minerals Commission seeking a license for mining in the Kakum National Park, which is currently in the validation stage. This application is one of 14 received by the Minerals Commission from various firms aiming to mine in forest reserves nationwide.

During a stakeholder engagement on the new Regulation on Mining in Ghana’s Forest Reserves (LI 2462) 2022, Mustapha Seidu, the director of Nature and Development Foundation, expressed concern. He warned that if the Legislative Instrument (LI 2462) is not revoked, it could result in significant destruction of the country’s forests.

Seidu emphasized that the application by High Street Ghana Limited, currently in the validation stage, would cover about 24% of the Kakum National Park, and in total, there are 15 forest reserves that the license would impact.

At the stakeholder meeting, Seidu called for urgent attention to LI 2462, stating that the country is already grappling with the illegal destruction of forests by miners. He highlighted the alarming trend of legal forest destruction within a year of LI 2462 coming into effect, expressing concerns about the potential consequences over the next five years or even a decade.