The President of the National Inland Canoe Fishermen Council, Speaking at a stakeholder meeting in Kumasi to review the new Fisheries Act, Mr. Ageke highlighted how fisherfolk operating along the Black VoJacob Kabori Tetteh Ageke, has raised alarms over the threat illegal mining activities pose to Ghana’s inland fisheries, warning of an imminent decline in fish stocks.lta in the Savannah Region are being forcefully chased away by illegal miners, preventing them from fishing in their primary water source.
“Some of the illegal miners are using weapons to ensure our people move out of the communities near the Black Volta in the Savannah and Banda areas,” he explained. “We are appealing to authorities to intervene and remove the miners so we can continue fishing.”
He described how illegal mining is devastating aquatic ecosystems, particularly in the Black Volta tributaries and the Volta Lake. The rampant mining has increased water turbidity, making it difficult for fish to thrive, further impacting the livelihoods of the fisherfolk.
“The illegal mining is greatly affecting us. From the Bui Lake to Bamboi and Buipe, the water has changed. Fish populations are declining as water from the Eastern Region flows into the Afram and ultimately into the Volta Lake, killing the fish before they enter the main lake,” Ageke explained.
Meanwhile, aquaculture farmers in the Ashanti Region, particularly in the Amansie East District, are also grappling with illegal small-scale mining activities. Francis De-heer, National Organizer of the Ghana National Aquaculture Association, noted that catfish farmers are being threatened by miners to vacate their farms, further disrupting the local economy.
“Catfish farming in areas like Amansie East was once thriving, but illegal mining is disrupting it, which seriously needs to be addressed,” De-heer emphasized.
There is growing pressure on the government to enforce a ban on small-scale mining, as it continues to destroy natural resources, threaten food security, and compromise access to potable water in various regions across Ghana.
