Food security in Ghana is at a breaking point - GAWU warns

The General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) says illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, is seriously threatening agriculture and food security in Ghana.

GAWU has therefore warned of the destructive consequences of galamsey on farmlands, water bodies, and food production as it urged the government to take swift action.

In a press statement dated Monday September 16, 2024, the association said food security in Ghana is at a breaking point, and illegal mining is worsening the crisis.

The union said there are over 7,470 galamsey sites across the country that are laying waste to agricultural lands and water sources.

It said Ghana has already lost 2.5 million hectares of reserves, a situation that is threatening biodiversity and adding to worsening climate conditions.

Farmers are being driven off their lands, either through intimidation or sheer hopelessness, as galamsey activities destroy cocoa and oil palm plantations," GAWU declared. 

The union added that over 100,000 acres of cocoa farms and 30,000 acres of oil palm plantation have been destroyed and threatens to undermine the country's status as a global producer of these major crops.

The Union said that the illegal mining continues to threaten the viability of agriculture, notwithstanding government efforts at reviving the sector through initiatives like the Planting for Food and Jobs and Youth in Agriculture. 

"Galamsey is not only crippling the sector but also shaking investor confidence as Ghana loses about $2.3 billion annually to gold smuggling and faces destruction of key agricultural lands," GAWU warned.

Besides economic damage, GAWU cited serious health risks from toxic chemicals used in illegal mining, which pollute both water and soil. 

These pollutants, the association stressed, pose a major threat to the health of women, particularly pregnant and lactating mothers, with long-term potential consequences for fertility and child health.

GAWU has therefore called on the President to declare a state of emergency. It insists that Ghana will be plunged into increased unemployment, food shortages, and the total collapse of the agricultural sector without any immediate necessary action. 

It further cautioned that galamsey, in its current unbridled destruction, is fast wearing away the agricultural backbone of the country-a certain omen of doom for the future of the Ghanaian economy and its people.