Ghana’s vital cocoa industry faces an existential threat as illegal small-scale mining, rampant deforestation, and sand mining activities have decimated 30,000 hectares of cocoa farms by December 2024, according to a stark warning from COCOBOD.
Dr. Randy Abbey, CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), revealed the alarming figures during a conference for members of Parliament, adding that a further 50,000 hectares are at imminent risk of destruction. “Illegal small-scale mining is ultimately diminishing the land under cultivation, levels of output and incomes of cocoa farmers,” he stated, painting a grim picture of the industry’s future.
The devastating impact of illegal mining, locally known as “galamsey,” has prompted international concern. Dr. Abbey disclosed that Japan and the European Union will begin testing Ghanaian cocoa beans for heavy metal contamination in September this year. In response, COCOBOD is establishing a state-of-the-art laboratory in Tema to conduct its own testing prior to export.
Beyond mining, the unchecked felling of cocoa trees is compounding the crisis. COCOBOD plans to amend the Economic Protection Act of 1979 to impose harsher penalties on those who illegally fell cocoa trees, seeking to deter this destructive practice.
The industry’s importance to Ghana cannot be overstated, providing direct employment to two million people and supporting an additional five million indirectly. However, the future of these livelihoods hangs in the balance.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, acknowledged the severity of the situation, describing illegal mining as a “social and economic crisis that threatened our livelihoods.” He pledged government support for MPs to lead efforts in their constituencies to establish Community Mining Cooperatives, aiming to regulate small-scale mining and provide legal avenues for miners.
The scale of the devastation is staggering. The Minister revealed that 44 out of 288 forest reserves are under severe threat from illegal mining, representing 7,500 hectares – equivalent to thousands of football fields. Water bodies have also suffered catastrophic pollution, with turbidity levels soaring to alarming levels.
President John Mahama has committed to tackling the “galamsey” menace head-on, with the Minister calling for the identification and public shaming of the “main financiers and bigwigs” behind the illegal operations.
The conference, themed “Restoring a Culture of Proper Small-Scale Mining in Ghana,” brought together key stakeholders to address the crisis. Parliamentarians are tasked with driving change in their constituencies, equipped with the knowledge and tools to combat the illegal mining scourge. The fate of Ghana’s cocoa industry, and the livelihoods of millions, rests on their success.
