Atewa Forest under ‘unprecedented attack’ from illegal mining – A Rocha Ghana

A Rocha Ghana and two civil society groups have raised the alarm over what they describe as an unprecedented and escalating illegal mining threat in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve.

The groups cautioned that continued illegal mining could undermine the forest’s ability to provide water, protect biodiversity and support climate resilience.

They are therefore calling on the government to urgently strengthen security and enforcement in the reserve and convert Atewa into a national park.

The concerns were raised at a press conference in Accra on Monday, September 14, organised by A Rocha Ghana in partnership with the Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape (CCAL) and Eco Conscious Citizens.

“Today, that legacy stands on the tipping point of survival,” the groups said, referring to the decision by the Okyeman State Council in 1926 to gazette the Atewa Forest as a protected reserve.

According to the groups, evidence from illegal mining hotspots within the reserve shows excavated pits, stripped forest cover, polluted streams, makeshift mining camps and abandoned equipment.

They said the situation is not a historical problem but an ongoing activity that requires urgent intervention.

The groups also cited court records showing that several illegal mining cases involving suspects arrested between 2021 and 2026 had been repeatedly adjourned, with some suspects granted bail.

They acknowledged that some convictions had been secured, including a 20-year sentence in one case and 15-year sentences with hard labour for three suspects in another, but said such convictions remains the exception.

The coalition further cited a March 2026 letter from the Kyebi Forest District Manager, Owusu Ameyaw, which reportedly cautioned against an influx of illegal miners into the Sagyimase/Asikam portion of the reserve.

They cited an internationally led 2016 study which estimated that effective protection of Atewa through a national park and restoration of its surroundings could generate an economic value of US$1.157 billion over 30 years.

The groups also said tourism could generate more than US$5 million annually, while a broader green development agenda could create thousands of jobs and support communities surrounding the forest.

They therefore called on President John Dramani Mahama and relevant state institutions to immediately convert Atewa into a national park and rescind plans for bauxite mining in the forest.

“We either deal with this menace or we perish. Without clean water, clean air, and standing forests, we are done as a people,” the groups warned.