Business24 Editorial: Bauxite mining is a slippery slope

Ghana’s decision to mine its bauxite resources has generated so much uproar. The pushback is premised on the fact that these resources lie beneath the lush forest resources of the Atewa Forest Reserve.

In recent years, the country has lost some of its forest resources as a result of man-made activities such as mining, lumbering, and farming.

These indiscriminate activities have robbed the country of the benefits these forests provide us. Among of these activities, mining has caused the most devastation, with water bodies which mostly take their sources from these forests heavily polluted and not fit for purpose.

The Atewa Forest has largely escaped these degrading activities – to a large extent. Thus, the decision to mine from that forest, no matter what assurances are given as to how sustainable it would be, is cause for great concern.

The Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC), the body mandated to exploit the country’s vast bauxite resources, has reiterated its commitment to responsible and sustainable development of the bauxite industry.

Michael Ansah, GIADEC’s Chief Executive Officer said in pursuit of transparency and accountability, GIADEC intends to keep every detail of its exploration, exploitation, and restoration activities within the public space to enable an appreciation of its strict adherence to international standards and regulations.

No matter what modern mining methods are applied, the invasion of Atewa threatens the biodiversity of the forest and every meaningful Ghanaian must be truly worried.

Despite the assurances, Dr. Benjamin B. Campion, an academic at KNUST’s Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources explained that the dangers to the forest Atewa Forest Reserve include invasive alien species, climate change, tourism, habitat change, hunting, increasing wildlife trade, and legal and illegal logging.

No amount of money got from the bauxite sale will make up for the biodiversity loss at Atewa. This paper would like to join other well-meaning organisations against this development to urge the government to reconsider its position.