Ghana’s Water Governance and Policy Dilemma: Water security or poverty reduction?

The signs of escape from poverty are very boldly seen in the hinterlands of Ghana. The younger generation move freely and swiftly on speed motor-bikes and modern pick ups such as F150, Toyota Hiluxes, Nissan Navaras and others in any town you visit in the Western, Asante, Eastern and Northern  Regions of the country.

The obvious enabler of this sign of wealth is Gold.

Information on Gold underneath every spot one steps on on the ground in Ghana is an open secret. One does not need sophisticated tools and equipment to explore Gold in Ghana. And the fact that it is easier to mind Gold in rivers, lakes and dams is no more and expensive gossip.

In 2024, Ghana’s water security faced major threats from small-scale mining, popularly called galamsey, and pollution of rivers.

The government, noting the challenge faced by the nation, launched a revised National Water Policy 2024 to tackle climate change, improve rural access, and promote sustainable water management.

The government also signed a major WASH Compact, and technology-driven solutions, with challenges with financing, infrastructure, and balancing resource use between farmers and herders. This required urgent, coordinated action for equitable, safe water access but the financing gap made coordination an impossibility and an essential commodity to policy implementers.

It is a household information that surface gold mining has heavily polluted rivers in Ghana including major water sources like river Pra, Offin, Tano, Owere and others but surface miners are left with no consideration but to mine for their survival since no safety net or support system exist for them, thus the country’s teaming unemployed youth.

The government pays the small percentage of formal workers made up of about 20-23% of the total population (Ghana Statistical Service 2024/2025)  handsomely and rewards them with little supervision thereby making them corrupt, action that hurts the unemployed youth and the vast majority of the population, roughly 80-85%,in the informal sector.

A case worthy of note is government appointees being paid in excess of Ghc 50,000 a month with official vehicles, free medical, cars, official bungalows and other pecks, whilst those in the informal sector live at the mercy of the scorching sun and rains.

Ghana’s Youth Unemployment:

Youth joblessness remains a significant challenge. Over one million Ghanaians aged 15-24 were neither working nor studying in Q3 2025. The rate for those aged 15-35 averaged 22.5% in 2024, consistently higher than the overall national average.

Gold

Gold is a rare, dense, soft, bright yellow, lustrous transition metal prized since antiquity for its beauty, scarcity, and resistance to corrosion, making it valuable for jewelry, currency, and electronics, despite being chemically inert and highly malleable. It is represented scientifically as Au with atomic number 79.

Water

Water is an essential, inorganic compound made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H₂O). It is crucial for all known life. Water can be found as liquid, solid (ice), or gas (vapor) on Earth and acts as a “universal solvent” that dissolves many substances, supporting biological functions and shaping the planet through the water cycle.

Water pollution

Almost every river in the mining regions mentioned is contaminated. Miners require water for their operations and the softer the ground their easier and less expensive the process to find the essential commodity.

Water contaminants

The major contaminants of rivers in Ghana are  mercury, cyanide, and silt, making water treatment expensive and threatening water quality.

Consequences of water pollution

Water pollution has the possibility to cause severe health issues like:

1. Cholera
2. Typhoid
3. Cancer
4. Organ damage (liver, kidneys) from pathogens and chemicals

Health issues occasioned by water pollution are likely to lead to:

1. Respiratory problems
2. Skin infections
3. Developmental challenges
4. Stress and anxiety in affected communities.

They are also likely to negatively impact vulnerable groups like children and the elderly most severely through waterborne diseases and chronic illnesses.

Government’s Approach

The government has introduced a number of policies with caution because drastic actions could backfire and be interpreted as an attack on political opponents engaged in business or the ruling government depriving its own financiers or members who supported it gain power. The policies include but not limited to:

1. Water Policy 2024: This was launched to address climate change, rural water, and sustainable financing, emphasizing water as a human right.
2. Presidential WASH Compact (Aug 2024): The government committed $1.7 billion annually to accelerate universal water and sanitation access.
3. Introduction of NAIMOS (National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat)
4. Just Water Partnerships (JWPs): WaterAid and partners push for national adoption of JWPs for better coordination and resource targeting.
5. Technology: Initiatives like Safe Water Network deployed digital platforms for efficient station management, improving service delivery.
6. Budget Shift: 2024 saw increased budget allocation towards rural water infrastructure, reversing prior trends. (UNICEF Ghana)

The colour and turbidity of the rivers mentioned have not improved in spite of the numerous policies implemented and actions taken by the government. Small Scale miners seem to have gone underground due to cries from the general public of environmental degradation, water pollution arising from mining activities and raids by NAIMOS.

The Dilemma

The government is torn between fighting miners head on with continuous calls for a state of emergency and losing support of the citizenry.

Small-Scale Miners are also still torn between abandoning mining of the gold close to them for clean rivers and continuing living in poverty and squalor.

Joseph Lovelace Kojo Nkansah