The scorching midday sun filtered through the branches of an old tree, casting shadows across a dusty compound in Sagyimase, about 90 kilometres north of Ghana’s capital, Accra.
Isaac Agyare Boadi, a retired teacher, in his late 60s, sat quietly on a worn out wooden chair, the weight of his thoughts heavy, as the trees surrounding him were visible on his face.
As chicks peeped around his compound house, he began narrating slowly, almost as if weighing each word.
“They are destroying what feeds us. Our water is dirty, our soil is weak and the trees are dying. How do we live when the very ground we depend on is sick?” he questioned, glancing towards the distant green hills.
But those hills are changing. The Sagyimase community, where Boadi lives, housed the 26,000-hectare Atewa Forest, which is under threat from illegal mining and logging activities that have stripped the forest bare and poisoned its soil.
He recounted how in 2018, he joined a six-day walk from the community to Accra, to petition the government to protect the forest.
“We didn’t walk because we had nothing to do,” he said with a faint smile. “We walked because our survival depends on this land. Without it, we are finished.”
Nature Under Attack
The Atewa Range Forest Reserve is internationally recognised as one of the highest-priority ecosystems in West Africa. It is valued for its rich species diversity, high levels of endemism and significant hydrological importance.
The forest was designated as a National Forest Reserve in 1926, then recognised as a Special Biological Protection Area in 1994, and a Hill Sanctuary in 1995. In 1999, it was included as one of Ghana’s 30 Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs).
The forest serves as the source for three major rivers, which are the source of water for approximately 5 million Ghanaians: the Ayensu River, the Densu River (which flows south into the Atlantic Ocean) and the Birim River, known for its longer, northern detour. This makes the Atewa Range Forest Reserve a critical water source for the region.
Since the 1990s, the Atewa Forest has faced significant threats due to illegal chainsaw logging. This issue has intensified over the years, necessitating the deployment of military personnel to maintain order. Additionally, activities such as bushmeat hunting, illegal farm encroachment and artisanal mining have further contributed to the forest’s degradation.
In 2018, Ghana entered a $2 billion barter agreement with the Chinese government, known as the Sinohydro deal. In exchange for the infrastructure projects that the Chinese will build, the Atewa Forest Reserve was earmarked for bauxite mining and the proceeds will be used to repay the loan.
According to the Africa Centre for Energy Policy, an Accra-based research and advocacy non-profit organisation, a research analysis of the deal revealed that Ghana’s bauxite wasn’t as lucrative as projected.
It is estimated that Ghana’s total bauxite reserves are around 550 million tonnes and Atewa only has 20% of it. The analysis further concludes that the government cannot make enough money from the bauxite extracted in Atewa to pay back a $2 billion debt.
In 2019, the government-owned Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) began prospecting for bauxite in the Atewa Forest, drilling 53 exploration boreholes without an Environmental Impact Assessment, as required by Ghana’s laws.
This exploration process affected around nine tributaries of rivers in the forest and resulted in the loss of centuries-old trees and the destruction of over one hundred hectares of land, equivalent to more than 100 football pitches.
The Sinohydro deal is not the first attempt by the Ghanaian government to mine bauxite in the Atewa Forest.
Over the years, several companies, including ALCOA (Aluminium Company of America), have engaged in exploration activities in the area.
In 2011, Vimetco Ghana (Bauxite) Ltd., a subsidiary of the international aluminium company Vimetco N.V., was granted prospecting licenses to mine bauxite in the forest.
However, the company faced significant opposition from residents and environmental groups concerned about the potential impact on water sources and biodiversity, leading to public protests.
In 2022, Vimetco Ghana was granted another prospecting license for the same forest, which sparked further public outcry and controversy regarding the licensing and operations.
For many in Atewa, the struggle to protect their ancestral heritage is deeply rooted and generational.
Illegal mining has expanded rapidly following the Sinohydro agreement, leading to severe degradation of the reserve. Bauxite mining has not yet commenced in the forest due to a lawsuit against the Ghanaian government, with the case currently pending in court.
Today, the consequences are visible: lost forests, dying trees, silted rivers, collapsing farmlands, and a way of life under siege.
Madam Asabi Asara, a farmer, has watched the creeping advance of illegal mining threaten the forest, once bordered by clear, flowing streams, which are now polluted.
“Before the encroachment by illegal miners, we didn’t have problems with our water bodies, and our harvests were plentiful,” she said. “The soil was good, and farming could sustain us.”
But that reality is fading. For Asabi, resisting any mining interest in Atewa has become a daily act of resistance — a fight not just for soil and crops, but for the survival of their families and the preservation of their community’s identity.
Satellite images showing the current high level of destruction inside Atewa Forest via Google Earth
Ghana is currently losing its forests. Despite its commitments to end deforestation, it recorded the highest percentage of forest loss among all tropical countries in 2022.
“Mining inside forest reserves is prohibited,” said Alfred Ameyaw, the Atewa District Manager of the Forestry Commission, the government agency responsible for protecting and managing permanent forest estates and protected areas.
Since January of this year, he explained that they have arrested 25 illegal miners inside the Atewa forest in 17 different cases currently before the Koforidua Circuit Court “B”.
Crediting community sensitisation campaigns and tips from informants have contributed to a reduction in illegal mining activities.
However, he warned that without increased logistical and financial support, the fight will be lost. He cited the need for reliable vehicles to access remote sites, fuel to sustain patrols, and adequate funding to support court-related expenses such as transporting suspects and evidence.
Without these basic resources, he warned, operations risk grinding to a halt, giving illegal miners a free pass to return.
“Protecting Atewa’s forests is a shared responsibility,” he said, “and if we fail, it will not only be our loss, but the loss of future generations.”
To monitor the activities of illegal miners in the Atewa Forest, A Rocha Ghana, a not-for-profit environmental organisation that has been leading advocacy efforts against mining in the Forest, developed SMART Mobile for Conservation.
This remote phone-based application helps a group of forest workers known as ‘local monitors’ to report live updates of illegal activities in the Atewa Forest.
Eli Etsra, a Project Manager at the organisation, explained the group’s ongoing efforts to protect the forest, which include community sensitisation, policy engagement, and collaboration with civil society organisations.
He called for a collective commitment from government, traditional leaders, and citizens to safeguard Atewa for future generations, not to be swayed by short-term economic gains that could lead to irreversible harm. “The forest is our heritage and our life. Once we destroy it, we destroy ourselves,” he added.
The National Park Request
To address the inconsistencies in policies and directions from successive governments regarding the status of the Atewa Forest, the Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape, a community-based organisation of 500 members from the 53 communities surrounding Atewa, suggested that the Ghanaian government designate and build the forest into a National Park.
In a letter to the then-President, Nana Akufo-Addo, whose government proposed mining in Atewa as part of a Chinese loan agreement, the Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape stated, “Atewa as a National Park would be a lasting, positive legacy for the Government of Ghana.”
They emphasised that this option ‘’enjoys significant public support among the forest-edge communities and would honour Ghana’s commitment to the international Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals.’’
Experts like Awula Serwah, Esq., the founder of Eco-Conscious and a prominent advocate for various nature campaigns, believe that the Ghanaian government should focus on enhancing forest reserves for ecotourism. This approach would help preserve nature while also supporting local communities.
‘’Ghana could carve out a share of that market by monetising its natural resources in a way that preserves forest reserves and pristine rivers while leveraging them to develop a sustainable and profitable green economy,’’ Awula explained.
‘’Mining is a short-term approach that ends up costing us more when we factor in the cost of restoring and repairing the damaged environment. The resulting health challenges add to the cost of mining, making its profitability a mirage.’’
For the people of Atewa, the struggle to protect the forest is twofold. First, they must engage with the government, which is constitutionally responsible for safeguarding the forest.
Second, they face the challenge posed by illegal miners and loggers who exploit legal loopholes. The community needs to succeed in this fight if it wants future generations to inherit this natural heritage, just as it was passed down to them by previous generations.
By: Jennifer Ambolley & Ibrahim Khalilulahi Usman
This reporting was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
