Three million livelihoods are on the line as small-scale miners in Ghana's Ashanti Region make a desperate appeal to President and Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, warning that a shortage of mining concessions is pushing them to the brink. "We're losing everything!" declared Felix Yaw Andam, spokesperson for the group, capturing the sense of panic among Ashanti mining communities.
Miners say the scarcity of accessible land, much of it tied up in leases held by multinational corporations and large domestic firms, is strangling their operations.
The situation extends far beyond simple economics.
Andam emphasizes that the crisis directly threatens the survival of over three million young Ghanaians who rely on the small-scale mining sector for their families' income.
