Ghanaians call for tighter regulation of natural resource extraction

A majority of Ghanaians want the government to regulate natural resource extraction such as mining, oil drilling, and wood harvesting more tightly to reduce its negative impacts on the environment, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

Citizens are evenly divided in their views on whether local communities receive a fair share of revenues from nearby natural resource extraction activities, and fewer than half think that the benefits of natural resource extraction outweigh its costs, such as pollution.

Only about half of Ghanaians say ordinary citizens have a voice in decisions about natural resource extraction that takes place near their communities.

Key findings

▪ Most Ghanaians (85%) want the government to regulate natural resource extraction more tightly to reduce its negative environmental impacts (Figure 1).

▪ Fewer than half (46%) of citizens think local communities receive a fair share of revenues from natural resource extraction; just as many (46%) think they don’t (Figure

And only 39% say the benefits of natural resource extraction, such as jobs and revenue, outweigh negative impacts such as pollution.

▪ Half (51%) of Ghanaians “agree” or “strongly agree” that ordinary citizens have a voice in decisions about natural resource extraction near their communities, while 40% disagree (Figure 4).

Afrobarometer surveys

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Eight survey rounds in up to 39 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2022) are currently underway. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.

The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,369 adult Ghanaians in April 2022.

A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys were conducted in Ghana in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019.

Charts

Figure 1: Support for tighter regulation of natural resource extraction | Ghana | 2022



Respondents were asked Natural resource extraction, such as mining, oil drilling, or wood harvesting, can have benefits, such as jobs and revenue. But it can also pose problems for nearby communities, such as pollution or deforestation.

Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements: In this country, natural resource extraction should be more tightly regulated by the government to reduce the negative impacts on the environment.

Figure 2: Views on benefits of natural resource extraction



Respondents were asked: For each of the following statements, please tell me whether you disagree or agree:

Statement 1: Local communities currently receive a fair share of the revenue from natural resource extraction that takes place near their communities.?

Statement 2: In general, the benefits of resource extraction activities to local communities, such as jobs and revenue, outweigh the costs, such as pollution.

Figure 3: Do citizens have a voice in decisions on natural resource extraction?



Respondents were asked: Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: Ordinary Ghanaians currently have a voice in decisions about natural resource extraction that takes place near their communities.