Growing concerns over compensation for land and livelihoods lost to mining activities have prompted renewed calls for reforms to Ghana’s mining laws, with affected communities and legal advocates arguing that current arrangements leave many farmers worse off.
The Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) says Ghana’s compensation regime must be reviewed to ensure mining-affected residents receive fair, adequate and sustainable compensation that reflects the true economic value of their lands and crops.
The call was made during a legal literacy and capacity-building programme organised for mining communities in the Eastern Region under the Fair Finance Project, supported by Oxfam in Ghana.
Speaking at the event, CEPIL Executive Director Augustine Niber identified compensation as one of the most persistent sources of tension between mining companies and host communities.
According to him, farmers who depend on long-term cash crops such as cocoa, oil palm and citrus often receive one-time payments that fail to account for the decades of income those farms would have generated.
He argued that while compensation packages may appear substantial initially, they frequently prove inadequate over time, leaving affected families without sustainable livelihoods after their land has been taken over for mining operations.
Mr Niber maintained that the Constitution guarantees fair, adequate and prompt compensation for persons whose property or livelihoods are affected, but noted that many mining communities continue to struggle to realise those protections in practice.
He further questioned whether existing mining laws sufficiently balance investor interests with the rights of local communities, suggesting that aspects of the legal framework favour mining operators at the expense of affected residents.
According to him, the imbalance has contributed to recurring grievances over compensation, limited bargaining power and concerns about the broader social and economic impacts of mining activities.
The training programme sought to empower community members with knowledge of mining regulations, compensation procedures, negotiation strategies and available legal remedies.
Participants included farmers, landowners, traditional leaders, women, youth groups, persons with disabilities and civil society organisations from mining-affected areas.
For many attendees, the discussions reflected longstanding frustrations over compensation arrangements.
One participant, Kwabena Frimpong, a farmer from Adausina in the Birim North Municipality, said many residents remained dissatisfied with compensation packages linked to mining projects in their communities.
He noted that farming remains the primary source of income for many households and argued that affected farmers often lack the legal and technical expertise needed to negotiate fair settlements with mining companies.
CEPIL believes strengthening legal awareness among residents will enable communities to participate more effectively in negotiations and advocate for reforms that protect their rights and livelihoods.
The organisation says improving compensation practices is critical to ensuring that the benefits of Ghana’s mineral wealth do not come at the expense of vulnerable communities whose lands and livelihoods are directly affected by mining operations.
