Stakeholders are demanding stronger protection of children living in mining-affected communities, particularly within Newmont Ghana’s Ahafo South fenceline areas. They warned that the exposure to environmental pollution and unsafe mining practices was placing child health and development at serious risk.
The concerns were raised at a stakeholder engagement on “Mining-Induced Barriers to the Wellbeing of Communities and Children Affected by Mining”, organised by Wacam with funding support from DKA Austria.
Health professionals and child rights advocates at the meeting cautioned that children in mining communities remained highly vulnerable to contaminated water sources, air pollution and other environmental hazards linked to mining operations. They stressed that those conditions posed long-term risks to physical development, respiratory health and overall wellbeing of children and other community members.
Health Officials from the Pediatric Department of the Sunyani Teaching Hospital noted that increasing exposure to mining-related pollutants was already manifesting in preventable health conditions among children in several affected areas. They called for urgent and sustained public health education alongside stronger environmental monitoring in mining zones.
Speaking at the forum, the Associate Executive Director of wacam, Mrs. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng, stressed that while mining remains a key economic activity, it must not come at the expense of children’s rights and environmental safety. She urged mining companies operating in fenceline communities, including Ahafo South, to strictly comply with environmental safeguards as required under the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490) and the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).
She emphasized that development must be measured not only in economic terms but also in the protection of human life and ecological sustainability, adding that communities must be empowered to demand accountability from mining operators.
Legal consultant for Wacam, Mr. Augustine Niber, reinforced the call, noting that constitutional protections under Article 36(9) of the 1992 Constitution require the State to safeguard the environment for present and future generations. He argued that children in mining areas should not bear the cost of regulatory failures or weak enforcement.
The participants also expressed concern over poor enforcement of mining regulations in fenceline communities, calling for stricter monitoring and punitive action against operators who fail to meet environmental obligations.
The engagement ended with a renewed commitment from stakeholders to intensify advocacy and community mobilisation to ensure that children in mining-affected areas are protected from environmental harm.
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