A coalition of concerned scientists, researchers, academics, and legal practitioners has intensified calls on the Government of Ghana to uphold citizen consultation and protect coastal livelihoods against offshore mineral exploitation.
The collective demands that state authorities prioritize transparent public engagement, environmental safeguarding, and human rights before granting mineral rights in sensitive marine zones.
This pressure emerges amidst growing anxieties regarding the ecological impact of offshore mining on the Inshore Exclusive Zone, a key maritime belt designated to protect traditional fishing grounds.
With coastal communities already facing severe economic stress from declining fish stocks and escalating operational expenses, the group insists that administrative decision-making must fully align with constitutional mandates and public interest.
“Article 37(2)(a), as a Directive Principle of State Policy, directs the State to afford the people opportunities to participate in decision-making at every level of national life and government, while international human rights standards increasingly recognize meaningful consultation as a pre-requisite for development initiatives that affect local communities.”
A coalition of concerned scientists, researchers, academics, and legal practitioners
The civil society coalition emphasizes that expanding extractive operations into delicate marine environments threatens both fragile ecosystems and national food security.
By granting offshore mineral concessions without rigorous public consultation, the government risks undermining the socio-economic rights of thousands of artisanal fishers who depend on the sea for survival.
The group contends that state regulatory agencies must abide by administrative fairness and respect statutory safeguards designed to protect coastal heritage.
Under constitutional provisions, natural resources remain held in trust for the populace, making arbitrary allocation of marine spaces a violation of public trust and intergenerational equity.
Consequently, the coalition urges the executive arm of government to halt uncoordinated seabed resource allocations until comprehensive environmental impact evaluations and genuine community engagements take place.
Safeguarding Marine Ecosystems and Constitutional Mandates
Ghana’s legal architecture establishes clear boundaries regarding natural resource management, environmental stewardship, and public ownership.
Under the 1992 Constitution, Article 257(6) explicitly vests all minerals found within the territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf in the President on behalf of, and in trust for, the Ghanaian people.
This fiduciary role obligates state officials to exercise authority in ways that protect national assets for present and future generations.
Furthermore, Article 36(9) mandates appropriate state measures to safeguard the national environment for posterity, while Article 41(k) places a reciprocal duty on every citizen to preserve environmental integrity.
Complementing these domestic provisions, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights ratified by Ghana in 1989 guarantees under Articles 21, 22, and 24 that all peoples possess an unalienable right to development, resource self-determination, and a generally satisfactory environment favorable to their overall advancement and wellbeing.
Protecting Artisanal Livelihoods in the Exclusive Zone
The Inshore Exclusive Zone was purposefully created as a protective buffer to insulate artisanal and semi-industrial fishers from industrial competition and ecological disruption.
Coastal communities currently suffer from dwindling marine catches, fluctuating migratory patterns, and rising fuel prices, making further environmental degradation a direct threat to human survival.
Marine scientists warn that offshore seabed mining and mineral dredging can permanently disrupt benthic habitats, dislodge spawning areas, and release harmful particulate plumes into the water column.
When environmental degradation threatens the survival of fishing communities, “the implications extend beyond environmental concerns and become matters of human rights and intergenerational justice.”
Ensuring the structural integrity of the Inshore Exclusive Zone is therefore essential to preserving local employment, maintaining regional fish supply chains, and preventing rural-urban migration driven by resource depletion.
Enforcing Administrative Justice and Public Consultation
A central component of democratic governance is ensuring that administrative bodies act within the bounds of legal accountability and procedural fairness.
Article 23 of the Constitution obligates administrative officials to execute their duties fairly, reasonably, and in strict compliance with legal requirements.
Parallel to this, Article 21(1)(f) secures the fundamental right to information, ensuring that citizens retain access to data regarding public policy, natural resource leases, and potential environmental hazards.
When state institutions grant offshore mineral rights without broad stakeholder participation, they risk alienating local populations and breaching basic administrative standards.
True national development cannot be evaluated solely by the extraction and monetization of subsea mineral resources; rather, as the coalition notes, “the true measure of development lies not only in the extraction of natural resources but in the extent to which such development safeguards human dignity, protects livelihoods, promotes social justice and leaves no community behind.”
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