Civil Society Activist, Dr Steve Manteaw has said that proper land use plans in Ghana will go a long way to resolve the issue of mining activities taking over farmlands.
He makes the point that currently, Ghana lacks proper land use plans; therefore, anywhere minerals are discovered, they are immediately given out for mining.
This has resulted in the destruction of farmlands, he said.
Speaking during the launch of the 2023 Ghana Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (GHEITI) report in Accra, Dr Manteaw stated that mining and agriculture can coexist in such a way that farmlands will not be destroyed.
“I dare say that it is largely a failure of policy so that’s why we are where we are. If you decide to turn all your available land into a mining ground, definitely you won’t have land for tomatoes; your water will be polluted so even if you get tomatoes, it won’t be wholesome. That is the problem.”
“We do have an institution in this country that was mandated to ensure all the districts have a land use plan, such that you demarcate land for industries, land for mining, land for residence, land for farming. So no matter what you find on that land, you don’t go there.
In terms of compliance, it doesn’t work, so we don’t have any dedicated land for agriculture.
Agric and mining can coexist, but it has to be managed such that agric or farming land will be no-go areas for mining,” he said.
His comments come at a time when a community called SE, near Ekoso in the Atiwa West district of the Eastern region, is demanding urgent government action to stop an illegal miner who has destroyed over 80 acres of cocoa and food crops in the area.
The destruction has polluted water bodies, threatening the livelihoods of farmers and food security in the area.
According to some concerned farmers, the illegal miner, identified as Williams Addo, was arrested on July 25, 2026, but the Atiwa West District Police Commander has allegedly directed the affected farmers to produce land documents before proceeding with prosecution.
“This is unacceptable,” said Nene Kwabra Tsu, an opinion leader in the community.
“The police should focus on prosecuting the illegal miner, not shifting the burden to the victims.”
Story by Kofi Nartey
