By P.K. Yankey, GNA
Dixcove (W/R), Oct. 08, GNA – Friends of the Nation (FoN), a non-government organisation (NGO), has declared zero tolerance for mining activities in the ocean as part of its efforts to ensure justice in fisheries governance.
The declaration followed government’s proposed offshore gold reconnaissance deal, granting 10 contiguous offshore reconnaissance licences to Gold Coast Resources Ghana Limited to undertake gold mining in Ghana’s marine waters from Half-Assini in Jomoro to Winneba in the Effutu Municipality in the Western and Central Regions.
According to the NGO, gold mining in the high seas would disrupt the activities of artisanal fishers, thereby bringing fishing expeditions to a standstill.
Mr Mevuta Donkris, the Executive Director of the FoN, said this at a day’s workshop for stakeholders in the fishing industry at Dixcove in the Ahanta West Municipality of the Western Region.
It was organised by FoN under the project dubbed “Protecting Our Zone, Securing Our Future” and was attended by chief fishermen and women from Lower and Upper Dixcove, canoe owners, fish mongers, fishers, the Fisheries Commission, FoN and the media.
The workshop sought to sensitise artisanal fishers to mobilise themselves to fight against any attempt to embark on gold mining activities in the sea.
According to a video footage during the workshop, the gold reconnaissance deal being championed by the Gold Coast Security Resources Limited was granted by the Minerals Commission on February 9, 2026.
The permits covered “approximately 10,000 square kilometres across about 300 kilometres of Ghana’s coastline stretching from Half-Assini in the Western Region to Winneba in the Central Region, reaching 33 kilometres offshore into the shallow continental shelf.”
Mr Donkris said: “The Minerals and Mining Act 2019 (Act 995) as amended, criminalises illegal mining methods or the use of floating platforms and excavators in or along natural water bodies, the territorial sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the continental shelf without proper authorisation.”
Mr Frank Eshun, an employee of the Fisheries Commission (FC), speaking on behalf of the Regional Director, told the fishers that the Commission had stated its position on the proposed offshore gold reconnaissance deal.
According to him, the Commission had also petitioned the Minerals Commission to revisit the issue and take the possible ramifications of the mining activities into consideration.
Mr Eshun said mining in the sea would aggravate the plight of fishers who already had other issues to contend with.
Mr Kenneth Arthur, the Secretary-General of the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFOAG), said the Association was not consulted before such a decision was taken.
He said any attempt to do gold mining in the sea would jeopardise the economic life of fishers, the fishing communities along that stretch and affect the per capita income of those in the fishing value chain.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter Pk Yankey
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]
08 Oct 2026