ActionAid Ghana has called for a fundamental shift in natural resource management, insisting that women and young people must be placed at the core of all decisions regarding the governance of Ghana’s mineral wealth.

Speaking on Wednesday in Goaso, Kwame Afram Denkyira, Programme Manager of ActionAid Ghana for the Ahafo, Bono, and Bono East regions, stated during a regional consultation on mining that host communities bear an unequal share of environmental and economic burdens, making inclusive governance an urgent necessity.

"The impacts of mining are not experienced equally. Women and young people must be at the centre of conversations about the future of Ghana’s mineral resources."

The initiative forms part of the Uplifting the Voices of Mining Communities (VOICES) project, a two-year regional effort funded by Comic Relief and implemented by ActionAid across Ghana, Malawi, and Senegal from June 2026 to May 2028.

In Ghana, ActionAid is focusing its intervention on four heavily impacted mining districts, including Asutifi North in the Ahafo Region, Mfantseman in the Central Region, Ahafo Ano South in the Ashanti Region, and Talensi in the Upper East Region.

Through citizen education, artistic activism, and community-led research, ActionAid is equipping populations in localities with tools to document environmental abuses, labour concerns, and human rights violations to drive policy advocacy.

In 2024, mineral production generated 9.5 per cent of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), pushing total mineral export earnings up by 52.7 per cent to 11.9 billion dollars.

Gold alone contributed 11.6 billion dollars, representing over 97 per cent of total mineral export revenue, solidifying Ghana's position as Africa's top gold producer.

While the sector sustains approximately 1.14 million livelihoods, more than 1.1 million of these jobs are in artisanal and small-scale mining.

Over the last two decades, small-scale extraction has degraded upwards of 78,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land, polluting vital water bodies and threatening food security for host families.

To counteract these deep-seated challenges, ActionAid’s VOICES project relies on a mineral justice model geared toward gender equity, youth empowerment, and corporate accountability.

Over the 24-month project timeline, ActionAid will train 80 women and youth leaders to head civic campaigns and community mobilisation efforts.

Simultaneously, four Community-Based Monitoring Committees will be established to collect grounded, verifiable data on local environmental and social conditions.

Data gathered by these committees will be converted into actionable policy briefs to engage traditional authorities, District Assemblies, regulatory agencies, and mining companies.