The Paramount Chief of Lower Dixcove has intensified calls for legislation mandating corporate social responsibility in Ghana’s extractive sector, citing systemic neglect of mining-affected communities.
Nana Kwesi Agyeman IX highlighted how voluntary CSR frameworks enable companies to evade developmental obligations while profiting from local resources.
“These firms export our gold and bauxite but leave our roads crumbling and schools understaffed,” the chief stated, revealing how teacher and nurse shortages persist because companies refuse to fund basic infrastructure. His appeal follows decades of failed attempts to institutionalize CSR, with current regulations allowing firms to bypass community needs by filing reports directly to Accra-based ministries.
The chieftain’s demand reflects growing frustration in resource-rich regions, where mineral wealth rarely translates to local development. Analysts note similar legislative models in Nigeria and South Africa have successfully compelled mining firms to build hospitals, schools and roads in host communities. Ghana’s parliament faces mounting pressure to prioritize the long-delayed CSR bill as part of broader natural resource governance reforms.
