Ghana has recorded the steepest decline in environmental sustainability in Africa over the past decade, according to the 2024 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) report.
The report, which evaluates governance performance across African nations over a ten-year period, ranks countries on their performance in various sectors. In the Sustainable Environment category, which includes environmental policy enforcement, air quality, sustainable land and forest management, and biodiversity protection, Ghana has seen a significant deterioration in its scores.
In 2014, Ghana scored 41.9 for sustainable land and forest use, but by 2023, the score had fallen to 37.6, marking a 4.3-point drop. Even more alarming was the decline in land and water biodiversity protection, which plummeted from 37 points in 2014 to just 24 points in 2023, a dramatic 12.1-point decrease.
Another critical indicator, the Absence of Illegal Exploitation of Biodiversity, also showed a sharp decline, dropping from 61.5 in 2014 to 25.0 in 2023—a reduction of nearly 60%.
The report highlights that Ghana’s poorest-performing indicators were the Sustainable Use of Land & Forests and Land & Water Biodiversity Protection. These rankings contributed to Ghana’s overall poor performance, with a -2.5 point decline, making it the worst performer in the Sustainable Environment sub-category in Africa.
Currently, Ghana ranks 39th out of 54 African countries in environmental sustainability. This places the country behind its neighboring Togo, which ranks 12th with a much higher score of 20 points in the same category.
The findings come amidst growing concerns about the negative impact of illegal mining, or “galamsey,” on Ghana’s environment. Illegal mining activities have led to widespread pollution of rivers, deforestation, and a loss of clean drinking water, triggering protests from youth groups, labor unions, media, and religious organizations. Demonstrations in Accra have called for stronger government action, and labor unions have gone on strike to demand more decisive intervention.
In response, the government has deployed military and police forces to mining sites, seizing equipment and making arrests. Additionally, Parliament is expected to address calls to repeal the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulation 2022 (L.I. 2462), which has been criticized for allowing mining in forest reserves.
The latest report underscores the urgency of addressing Ghana’s environmental challenges, particularly illegal mining, and emphasizes the need for concerted action to restore the country’s sustainability rankings. President Akufo-Addo has reiterated his commitment to combat the galamsey crisis and protect the nation’s natural resources.
