Fourteen civil society organisations have asked President John Mahama to go further than the suspension of offshore gold reconnaissance activities and revoke the licences granted for mineral exploration on Ghana's continental shelf. In a letter dated October 13, 2026, the groups praised the government for halting the operations but insisted that a suspension alone cannot settle the questions raised by fishing communities, regulators and scientists.
The coalition includes the National Fisheries Association of Ghana (NAFAG), the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Global Fisheries and Resilience Action (GFRA), Hen Mpoano, Oceana, Friends of the Nation (FoN) and the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC). Their message is clear, and it is one this country's blue economy cannot afford to ignore.
What the civil society groups are asking for
The organisations want the licences held by Gold Coast GRC Ghana Ltd, which reportedly cover roughly 10,000 square kilometres of Ghana's western continental shelf, cancelled outright. They first petitioned the government on September 28, 2026, over the company's activities, according to GhanaWeb.
On October 5, 2026, the Minerals Commission, acting on a directive from the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, ordered the immediate suspension of all activities under the licences pending the completion of consultations. The CSOs welcomed that decision but described it as only a step in the right direction.
They also flagged a worrying discrepancy: information on the Gold Coast GRC Ghana Ltd website suggested the activities had not actually been suspended. If a company can treat a ministerial directive as optional, that is exactly the kind of transparency gap Ghana must close.
“The principles of sustainability, transparency and stewardship must guide the future of Ghana's oceans. Any potential benefits associated with offshore mineral development must therefore be carefully weighed against the risks posed to fisheries resources, marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of the millions of Ghanaians who depend on them,” the groups said in their letter.
Why fisheries and coastal livelihoods are at stake
The licences cover waters that support important fisheries resources and the livelihoods of fishing communities along the western coast. The Fisheries Commission has itself raised concerns about the implications for the marine environment, fishing activity and the communities that depend on the sector.
The CSOs argued that the ocean is not merely a natural resource. It is a source of food, employment, cultural identity and economic survival for millions of Ghanaians. Decisions affecting marine ecosystems, they said, demand the highest standards of transparency, legality, scientific scrutiny and public participation.
This is a fight about priorities. Ghana's blue economy ambitions, its food security objectives and the interests of coastal communities must sit at the centre of any review, not at the margins. The groups want the review to ask a bigger question than whether the activities can simply resume: can offshore gold exploration and eventual seabed mining coexist with Ghana's fisheries at all?
A test for transparency and the rule of law
For a government that has promised openness and reform, this is a defining moment. The CSOs called for the outcome of the review to comply fully with the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) as amended, the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146), the 1992 Constitution and applicable environmental legislation.
That is a reasonable demand. Investors, diaspora Ghanaians and development partners all watch how Accra handles disputes like this one. Clear rules, enforced consistently, are what attract serious capital. Ambiguity chases it away.
The precautionary approach the groups are urging would prioritise the long-term sustainability of Ghana's fisheries over the uncertain and potentially irreversible effects of offshore mineral development. Given the stakes, that is not obstructionism. It is sound economics.
“The suspension should therefore provide an opportunity not merely for consultation, but for a comprehensive review of whether and under what circumstances the proposed programme can lawfully and responsibly proceed,” the organisations stressed.
Ghana's resource governance moment
Ghana has seen what happens when mining disputes are left to fester. Communities in