Illegal mining, known across Ghana as galamsey, has become one of the most destructive threats to our environment. In just a few years it has turned farmland into open pits, poisoned rivers that communities depend on, and stripped away forests that took generations to grow.
At Global Foundation for Community Development LBG (GFfCD), we believe galamsey is not only an environmental problem. It is a community development problem, because when land and water are destroyed, livelihoods, health and food security go with them.
The damage we cannot ignore
The activities of illegal miners have led to:
- Sinkholes and abandoned pits that endanger people and animals
- Contamination of soil and groundwater
- Pollution of rivers and other surface water
- Loss of biodiversity and destruction of forests
- Farmland that can no longer support crops
These effects are felt most by the communities where mining happens, but the consequences reach all of Ghana.
Our response: the Climate Change Sustainable Project (CCSP)
GFfCD saw the need for a long-term solution that helps revive our lands and water bodies while contributing to climate action under SDG 13. That is why we developed the Climate Change Sustainable Project (CCSP).
Through CCSP, we aim to restore degraded landscapes and promote environmental stewardship through tree planting and community climate education. The project is designed to complement the work of government agencies, security services and civil society organisations already fighting galamsey.
Starting with the people who hold the land
In 2023, we engaged traditional leaders and individual landowners in mining communities across the Western and Ashanti Regions. Lasting change depends on the people who own and use the land, so building their support was our first step.
Join us
We call on traditional leaders, civil society organisations, landowners and funding partners to work with us to implement CCSP and protect Ghana’s environment for current and future generations.
Want to partner with us or support this project? Contact us at info@gffcd.org or visit our Get Involved page.
#StopIllegalMining #SDG13 #ClimateAction
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