Benjamin Larweh: Ghana’s cocoa farms must not become casualties of the gold rush

Ghana faces a critical situation in its battle against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey. As the government seeks to formalize eligible artisanal and small-scale miners, a crucial point remains: no economic activity should be allowed to destroy Ghana's agricultural assets, livelihoods, and ecosystems vital to the nation's long-term prosperity.

The Ghana Cocoa Board Act of 2026 (Act 1182) offers a vital legal basis for safeguarding one of Ghana's most valuable agricultural resources. This law designates cocoa farms as protected areas and sets measures to prevent mining and other prohibited extractive activities, including a 500-meter buffer zone around protected farms. The challenge now is to turn this principle into effective enforcement.

Cocoa is more than just an export commodity; it supports hundreds of thousands of farming households, sustains rural economies, and enhances Ghana's economic standing globally. Each productive cocoa farm is the result of years of labor, investment, and agricultural knowledge. When illegal mining destroys a farm, the consequences go beyond uprooted trees.

Families may lose their primary source of income, productive soil can be degraded, water resources may be threatened, and future generations' economic prospects may suffer. Furthermore, the damage may extend beyond the immediate mining site, affecting neighboring farms and communities due to excavation, erosion, altered drainage, and potential contamination.

Act 1182 presents an opportunity to strengthen cocoa farm protection against destructive activities. Its effectiveness, however, hinges on the clarity of its implementation and consistent enforcement. The reported 500-meter restriction is particularly significant because mining risks are not always confined to the excavation site itself.

Activities near cocoa farms can compromise their productivity and endanger surrounding ecosystems. To make this protection effective, relevant authorities must establish reliable farm maps, clearly identify protected areas, and ensure that proposed mining sites are screened against applicable restrictions before granting any authorizations.

The Ghana Cocoa Board, mining regulators, environmental authorities, land administration institutions, and local governments must collaborate to avoid conflicting decisions and enforcement gaps. A protected farm should exist not only on paper but also with visible protection in terms of farmer security, land integrity, and continued crop productivity.

Recent public debates surrounding comments by Ghana Gold Board Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi have reignited discussions about the government's approach to unauthorized mining. While there is a valid case for formalizing eligible artisanal miners through licensing, registration, environmental standards, and regulatory oversight, formalization must never be mistaken for permission to mine wherever operators desire.

An unlicensed operation does not automatically become lawful merely because it is economically beneficial or located outside a forest reserve or water body. Eligibility for formalization should be assessed under the relevant legal framework, including restrictions on protected cocoa farms. A qualifying miner must still comply with all applicable laws governing mining locations.

This distinction is essential to ensure that formalization creates a pathway towards lawful mining, not a route to circumvent environmental safeguards or statutory prohibitions. Prohibited mining areas, such as those protecting cocoa farms, should not be overridden by administrative arrangements or economic justifications. The objective is not to stigmatize miners or dismiss economic pressures faced by mining communities but to ensure legitimate economic opportunities are pursued within legal boundaries and without imposing undue costs on farmers and the public.