Researchers have warned that illegal mining in Ghana's Savannah Region is being financed and carried out largely by foreign nationals, posing economic, environmental and security risks.
Findings from Conginta's EU-funded Gold for Good baseline studies show financiers of illegal mining in the emerging Savannah corridor include Mossi people from Burkina Faso, while active miners include nationals of Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and other West African countries.
Lead researcher Professor Ebenezer Owusu-Sekyere cautioned that the destruction of land and water resources by foreign operators also carries security implications amid extremist activity in the wider region.