By: OrePulse

Ghanaian artisanal fishing communities have called on President John Dramani Mahama to permanently revoke offshore gold exploration licences held by Gold Coast GRC Ghana Ltd, covering roughly 10,000 square kilometers of coastal waters, a coalition representing the sector said at a press conference in Accra on October 14.

The coalition, which said it represents chief fishermen, canoe owners, crew members, fish processors and traders, said the government's earlier suspension of Gold Coast GRC Ghana Ltd's operations does not guarantee that the company's activities will not resume. It is calling for the outright withdrawal of the ten reconnaissance licences it says the company holds.

A statement issued on the coalition's behalf was signed by Nana Kwame Sankah. It said offshore mineral exploration, and any mining that might follow, could deplete fish stocks, damage marine habitats and cut the incomes of fishing households, with further effects on fish supply, prices and the broader coastal economy.

The coalition also questioned the practical effect of a wider protected fishing zone created under Ghana's Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146). The law extended the country's Inshore Exclusion Zone, which limits certain commercial activity close to shore, from six to 12 nautical miles. The fishing groups said that extension offers little practical protection for their livelihoods if offshore mineral exploration and mining continue to be permitted within the same stretch of water.

The government had earlier suspended Gold Coast GRC Ghana Ltd's operations in the area, a move the coalition welcomed but said falls short of a lasting solution, since a suspension could in principle be lifted.

Ghana is one of Africa's largest gold producers, and many of its coastal communities depend heavily on artisanal and small-scale fishing for employment and food security. The dispute over Gold Coast GRC Ghana Ltd's offshore licences illustrates a wider friction between expanding mineral exploration along the coastline and the protection of long-standing fishing grounds.

No government decision on the coalition's request to permanently revoke the licences had been announced as of October 14.