By Daniel Bampoe
Ghana’s increasing reliance on sand for its booming construction industry is quietly fueling an environmental and social crisis, with alarming consequences for rural communities and farmlands.
Member of Parliament for Ayensuano Constituency, Ida Adjoa Asiedu, has strongly called for immediate and coordinated national action to address the rampant and often illegal practice of sand winning across the country.
Delivering a statement on the floor of Parliament, Ida Adjoa Asiedu described the unregulated extraction of sand as a growing threat to the environment, public health, food security, and national development.
While acknowledging the importance of sand in infrastructure development, she emphasized that the costs of uncontrolled sand mining far outweigh the benefits.
Sand winning — extracting sand from rivers, coastlines, and land surfaces — plays a central role in Ghana’s construction sector, supplying material for roads, bridges, homes, offices, schools, and more.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an estimated 50 billion tons of sand are extracted globally each year, making it the most exploited natural resource after water.
In Ghana, the Minerals and Mining Act (Act 703) provides a regulatory framework for legal sand mining, requiring operators to obtain licenses.
However, Ida Adjoa Asiedu lamented the widespread disregard for these laws.
“Many sand miners use unapproved means to extract the material in a way that threatens the sustainability of the environment from which it is sourced,” she stated.
Ayensuano Under Siege
Citing her own constituency as a case in point, the MP drew attention to the extensive damage caused by sand winning in towns such as Kraboa, Coaltar, Asuboi, Otuase, Anfaso, and Aye Kukuoso.
Farmlands in these communities have become barren and unfit for cultivation, disrupting agricultural activities that form the economic backbone of local households.
“The destruction of land cover has left the soil vulnerable to erosion, and in some instances, dangerous open pits have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of disease,” she explained.
National Impact and Rising Tensions
Beyond Ayensuano, the consequences of sand winning are being felt nationwide.
Ida Adjoa Asiedu outlined the broader impacts: biodiversity loss, reduced agricultural and coastal land, groundwater depletion, and environmental pollution.
She also pointed to rising tensions between communities and mining interests, citing disputes over inadequate compensation and land encroachments.
She recounted a tragic incident on January 17, 2025, when violence broke out in Ayensuano after land guards accompanying illegal sand winners clashed with farmers protesting the destruction of their lands.
Two people were killed and several others injured. “This is a wake-up call for all of us. It is a tragedy that must not repeat itself,” she told Parliament.
Root Causes and Systemic Failures
The MP identified several drivers behind the sand winning crisis, including high unemployment, population growth, rising demand for construction materials, and ineffective law enforcement.
She added that poor coastal surveillance and corruption further hamper regulation.
“We must face the truth: the current regulatory and institutional responses to sand winning are not working,” she said, urging a complete overhaul of enforcement mechanisms at the district and metropolitan levels.
Path Forward: Education, Innovation, and Enforcement
Ida Adjoa Asiedu proposed a multi-pronged approach to stem the tide of illegal sand mining. This includes:
Strict enforcement of mining laws by district assemblies and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
Public education on the environmental and social dangers of sand winning,
Alternative livelihoods for those involved in illegal sand mining,
Technological innovation, such as adopting “crushed rock” as a substitute for natural sand — an approach already in use in countries like China and the United States.
Climate Crisis and SDGs at Stake
She warned that the continued degradation of the environment through uncontrolled sand mining undermines the country’s ability to withstand climate-related shocks such as droughts, floods, and rising sea levels.
She also stressed that the crisis threatens Ghana’s progress toward achieving Goal 13 (Climate Action) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“Failure to act now could leave us unprepared for environmental disasters and weaken our democratic and developmental foundations,” she concluded, urging Parliament and relevant authorities to treat the sand-winning crisis as a national emergency.
