Kyei Yamoah warns illegal mining has contaminated water, food, forests and threatens Ghana’s long-term survival

The Executive Director of HELP Foundation Africa, Kyei Yamoah, has warned that the environmental and public health consequences of illegal mining have reached alarming levels, saying every Ghanaian consuming treated water could be exposed to contamination from heavy metals released into the country’s water bodies.

Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (21 July), Yamoah said the effects of illegal mining now extend far beyond mining communities, posing a nationwide health, environmental and economic threat.

“Everybody drinking treated water is at risk,” Yamoah warned.

According to him, illegal mining has forced the Ghana Water Company to shut down treatment plants at various times because of pollution in raw water sources, while the removal of toxic heavy metals remains both technically difficult and costly.

“We have also known from the Ghana Water Company and others that the heavy metals are not easy to remove from our drinking water sources. So everybody drinking water treated by the Ghana Water Company is at risk,” he said.

Yamoah said studies have already detected heavy metals in food crops cultivated in mining areas, raising concerns about the long-term health implications for consumers across the country.

He noted that cocoa farms and other agricultural lands continue to be cleared to make way for illegal mining, leaving many farmers unable to access or cultivate their lands.

“We have shown that some of these heavy metals due to pollution from illegal mining are arriving in our food crops. Some of these food crops in mining areas have indicated high levels of arsenic,” he said.

Beyond agriculture, Yamoah said Ghana’s forests—critical for carbon sequestration and climate resilience—are being destroyed at an alarming rate, undermining national and global climate goals.

He added that the health impacts of illegal mining have already been documented by medical professionals, citing reports of birth defects, contamination of pregnant women and children, and exposure to toxic substances among people living near mining communities.

“We’ve seen babies being born deformed because of illegal mining. What else do we want to look at as a nation?” he asked.

Yamoah also warned that pollution from illegal mining is threatening Ghana’s marine ecosystem, including the country’s first marine protected area around Cape Three Points, where contaminated river water eventually flows into the sea and affects fisheries.

He said the crisis has become a national security concern, with armed criminal groups operating in some mining areas and children abandoning school to participate in illegal mining activities.

“We have seen armed men. We have seen times when security officers could not even access some forest areas because those involved in illegal mining were armed. This is a recipe for chaos and should be a national security concern,” he said.

Yamoah urged authorities to intensify enforcement against illegal mining, arguing that the environmental destruction being witnessed today would have lasting consequences unless decisive action was taken.

“The nation is paying a very heavy price. We are all at risk,” he said.