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An environmental protection group, A Rocha Ghana, together with 20 civil society groups, has sued the government of Ghana in an attempt to stop it from allowing the Atewa forest reserve to be mined for bauxite.

A Rocha Ghana works throughout the country, from four field bases, to help communities protect some of the most biodiverse and threatened habitats: coastal fishing communities who depend on healthy mangroves; villages around the rainforest of Atewa; farmers and fishermen at Lake Bosomtwe and the peoples of the arid savanna surrounding Mole National Park.

In a statement, A Rocha Ghana said it has filed a notice of civil action against the government of Ghana with the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Gloria Akuffo, over the plans to “exploit the Atewa Range Forest for bauxite”.

The notice, which was filed on Monday, 13 January 2020, “is in pursuant to Section 10 of the State Proceeding Act 1998, Act 555. The action intends to protect and safeguard the environment pursuant to the constitutional duty imposed on us under article 41(k) of the Constitution of Ghana, 1992”, the group said in its statement.

It said EcoCare Ghana, Ghana Youth Environment Movement, Save the Frogs Ghana, and several other institutions have affirmed their support to ensure that governments, both now and in the future, respect the right of Ghanaians to a safe and healthy environment.

“We, being good citizens, support government’s quest to develop Ghana and, as part of such efforts, to raise funds through various endeavours including exploiting the country’s resources. However, it is the case that Ghana does not need to exploit the Atewa Forest bauxite reserves since there are far richer bauxite reserves, according to information available to the government and to the entire Ghanaian populace.

“Also, considering the critical importance of the Atewa Forest Range to Ghana’s water supply system, biodiversity and natural climate change adaptation, it would be best not to exploit the Atewa Range Forest”, the group asserted.

It said the notice has been served, bearing in mind several constitutional actions to draw the government’s attention to the fact that mining in the Atewa Forest would be “very detrimental”.

“We, together with over 20 civil society organisations (CSOs), both local and international, have embarked on a series of campaigns to steer the government away from its decision. In the same spirit of environmental protection, we have sent a petition to both the Presidency and Parliament but the government of Ghana consistently demonstrates no interest at all in these actions. It is against this background that we serve the notice to bring a legal suit against the government of Ghana should they fail to exclude Atewa Range Forest from the bauxite mining project. It is unfortunate that we have to fight our own government to protect the environment”, A Rocha Ghana bemoaned.

The intended reliefs of the notice include:

1. Declaration that the right to life and dignity as enshrined in the Constitution of Ghana, 1992 which includes (a) the right to a clean and healthy environment and (b) the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations.

2. A declaration that mining bauxite in the Atewa Forest violates the right to life and dignity enshrined under articles 13 and 15 of the Constitution.

3. An order, compelling the government of Ghana and its agents to take the necessary steps to protect Atewa Forest Range in accordance with constitutional obligations as contained under article 36(9) of the constitution.

4. An order, restraining the government of Ghana, its assigns and agents, servants, workmen, allottees and guarantees whatsoever and howsoever described from undertaking mining and its related activities in the Atewa Forest Range.

In November 2019, Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, who is also an environmentalist dedicated to the protection and wellbeing of all earth's inhabitants, kicked against President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government’s plan to mine bauxite in the Atewa forest in Ghana’s Eastern Region.

The actor, who played a lead role in the movie 'Titanic', said the forest is at risk of extinction if it is mined.

With the knowledge that the forest provides drinking water to five million people and harbours over 100 wildlife species, DiCaprio, in a tweet, said: “We must prioritise the protection of these irreplaceable places for a healthy planet.”

The forest is the source of three major rivers that provide water for five million Ghanaians. The Densu River, which flows from the Atewa Forest, feeds the Weija Reservoir that provides close to 2.5 million people in Accra with water.

It is also home to an estimated 165 million tonnes of bauxite, a sedimentary rock used to create aluminium products such as aircraft parts, kitchen utensils and beer cans.