Fishing associations, coastal communities and civil society organisations have called on the government to immediately halt further progression of the reported offshore gold exploration by GoldCoast Resource Corp, pending a comprehensive and independent review.
The groups say the reported granting of 10 contiguous Offshore Reconnaissance Licences to the company, covering approximately 10,000 square kilometres of Ghana’s western offshore area, warrants urgent scrutiny because of the scale of the operation and its potential implications for fisheries and coastal livelihoods.
The licensed area reportedly stretches about 300 kilometres from Half Assini towards Winneba and covers a marine environment that supports thousands of artisanal fishers, fish processors, traders and other businesses dependent on the sea.
In a letter to the government, the groups said they recognise Ghana’s right to develop its mineral resources but are concerned about the size and location of the reported licences and what the exploration could eventually lead to.
They stressed that a reconnaissance licence is not the same as a mining lease or an authorisation for commercial extraction. However, they raised concerns about reported activities including geophysical surveys, bathymetric and seismic investigations, coring and sediment sampling, as well as the possibility of future prospecting and shallow-water dredging.
According to the groups, allowing the project to progress without first addressing the environmental, fisheries and livelihood implications could expose fishing communities and marine ecosystems to avoidable risks.
They are therefore asking the government to suspend further implementation and progression of the project until an independent review has examined how the 10 licences were granted, their precise coordinates and boundaries, the technical and economic justification for the project and the proposed work programme.
The review, they said, should also examine consultations undertaken, the relationship between the licensed areas and fishing grounds and fisheries management measures, the environmental and social risks involved, and whether Ghana’s existing legal and institutional framework is adequate to regulate offshore mineral exploration.
The coalition further wants government to ensure that, until the review is completed and its findings made public, there is no move towards prospecting, bulk sampling, dredging, substantial seabed disturbance or any other higher-impact activity that could advance the project towards commercial extraction.
The groups said the request for a halt is intended to give Ghana the opportunity to properly assess the project before it progresses to activities that could have more significant and potentially lasting consequences for marine resources and coastal communities.
They are also calling for meaningful participation by affected fishers and coastal communities in any review of the project.
Source: Adom Online
