Atewa campaign latest

Taking the Government of Ghana to court

As part of a group of seven Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and four private citizens, A Rocha Ghana is taking the Government of Ghana to court in an attempt to overturn plans to mine bauxite in the Atewa Range Forest Reserve.

Their claim is that mining bauxite in the forest violates ‘the right to life and dignity as enshrined in articles 13 and 15 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana’, which includes ‘the right to a clean and healthy environment’ and ‘the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations’.

They also ask that the Government declare Atewa Forest a ‘Protected Zone’ and restore or compensate for the damages caused as a result of prospecting and clearing roads without the necessary due diligence. They argue that over 82% of Ghana’s bauxite can be mined elsewhere, so there is no need to exploit the reserves in Atewa, which harbours a high diversity of threatened species, many of which occur nowhere else in the world. It also contains the headwaters of three river systems, providing clean drinking water for five million Ghanaians, as well as sustaining local industries and agriculture. In recognition of its biological importance and value to community members, more than 100,000 people have signed petitions (including A Rocha’s, which is not too late to sign) calling on the Government of Ghana to declare Atewa Forest a National Park, to protect it from mining.

Listen to Seth Appiah-Kubi, the National Director of A Rocha Ghana, speaking about the campaign on the Renew our World podcast: