‘Ghanaian activists sue government to save forest from mine’ 8 July 2020

Environmental activists have sued Ghana's government to stop a proposed mining project in a protected national forest, which they say endangers their health and well-being, amid growing calls to increase nature reserves to combat climate change. The proposed mine in the Atewa Range Forest is part of a $2 billion deal signed with China, which will gain access to bauxite - used to make aluminium - in exchange for financing infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges in Ghana. Seven local advocacy groups and four citizens claim that mining in the forest violates their constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment and their right to protect it for future generations, their lawyer said this week.

"The forest is our life," said Oteng Adjei, head of Concerned Citizens of the Atewa Landscape, one of the groups involved in the case, which went to the High Court on July 1, according to documents seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Bauxite mining is a one-time payment. (The government) cannot bring back the original forest." Ghana's government spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and the state-owned Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) declined to comment. President Nana Akufo-Addo has previously said the bauxite can be extracted without disturbing the wildlife, and GIADEC has promised the growing bauxite industry will create 35,000 jobs.

…Across Africa, local groups are becoming increasingly emboldened to use the courts to pursue grievances against mining firms, as they balance the need to boost growth and jobs with maintaining their dwindling forest cover…The Atewa forest is home to rare plants and animals and is the source of three major rivers that provide water to millions, including residents of the capital Accra, about 90 km away…"It is unfortunate that time and again, citizens have to fight our own government before we can secure our environment," said Daryl Bosu, deputy national director of A Rocha Ghana, one of the conservation groups suing the government.