Baffour K.S. Sikabede, Chief of Akyem Essase (Apaapam), called on the government and its agencies to consult and adequately resource traditional authorities before granting mining concessions on stool lands during his keynote address at the Fourth Annual Colloquium organised by the Department of Political Science Education at the University of Education, Winneba on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
He warned that engaging chiefs only after mining activities had caused environmental damage undermines their custodial responsibility and weakens efforts to protect land, forests and water bodies. “To government and its agencies, consult and resource traditional authorities before concessions are granted on stool lands, not after the land has been damaged,” he said.
According to Sikabede, traditional rulers are not merely ceremonial figures but among the oldest environmental regulators in Ghana, having historically used customary rules and taboos to safeguard natural resources. He noted that some forests were traditionally protected from human activity, while fishing was prohibited on certain days and some rivers were regarded as living entities deserving respect rather than resources to be exhausted. “Our ancestors understood this connectedness long before any encyclical or Act of Parliament,” he said.
He questioned whether Ghana would recognise traditional authorities as partners in environmental enforcement or leave them powerless while concessions were granted over lands entrusted to their care. “The real question at this crossroads is whether Ghana in 2026 will treat traditional authorities as partners in enforcement or leave us to watch while concessions are signed away on lands we hold in trust,” he stated.
Sikabede argued that Ghana’s environmental governance challenge was not the absence of legislation but the lack of political courage to enforce existing laws fairly. “Ghana does not lack legislation on mining, forestry or water resources. What we lack is the courage to apply those laws evenly to the small‑scale miner in a remote district and to the well‑connected concession holder in the capital alike,” he said.
He urged traditional leaders to demonstrate integrity in managing natural resources and resist financial inducements that could compromise the future of their communities. “To my fellow chiefs, let us set our own house in order first. We must not trade our children’s rivers for a portion of royalties,” he cautioned.
He reaffirmed his commitment to preventing illegal mining within his traditional area, declaring that no unlawful mining operation would be permitted to operate on Akyem Essase lands during his reign. “No illegal mining operation will find comfort on the lands of Akyem Essase while I hold this stool,” he declared.
He also encouraged universities to continue producing research that strengthens environmental accountability and to communicate their findings in language accessible to farmers and the wider public. He appealed to students to begin defending Ghana’s natural resources through their unions, churches and public platforms, stressing that they would ultimately inherit the consequences of today’s environmental decisions.
As the chief concluded his address, the audience listened to a call for collaborative stewardship of Ghana’s natural heritage, with the hope that policy and practice will align to protect stool lands for future generations.
