Farmers of Adaase, a suburb of Obuasi have expressed their concerns about the effects of community mining on their farms and water resources.  Adaase is home to a number of farmers who grow a number of crops for their livelihoods. The onslaught of community mining has caused a great number of farmers to lose their farmlands and important water sources used directly for farming activities.

The Community Mining Scheme was launched in June 2020, by the Akufo-Addo-led government to curb illegal small-scale mining in the country, stimulate wealth creation and to promote community involvement and linkages with other sectors of the economy. It is difficult for the average Adaase farmer to accept the aim stated above as the reality it presents seems to differ by a mile.

“I’ve examined the situation and I’m more than fully persuaded that the perfection . . . of community mining in our country will go a long way in dealing with the incidences of illegal small-scale mining”, Samuel Abu Jinapor. The Lands and Natural Resources Minister Designate, Samuel Abu Jinapor during his vetting by the Appointments Committee in Parliament on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 suggests that the alternative community mining presents is not quite perfect yet and has to be reformed to achieve perfection and its greater goal.

It has been a long fight against illegal mining for the past few years and if the best alternative to this canker is the community mining program then much work has to be done to ensure it doesn’t replicate the problem it was meant to solve.

The Ghanaian farmer faces a lot of uncertainties most of which he or she has little or control over. Community mining must not be part of them.