Tension has erupted in the Jomoro Nungua community in the Western Region after local residents forcibly drove away National Democratic Congress executives who had arrived to launch a cooperative mining project, with community members citing fears that the initiative would facilitate illegal mining and cause irreversible damage to their lands.
The incident, which has since circulated on social media, shows a visibly agitated crowd gathered on a dirt road as the confrontation unfolded. The NDC executives were unable to proceed with the planned launch after residents made clear their opposition to the project in unambiguous terms.
Community members who spoke on the matter expressed deep concern that the cooperative mining venture, despite being presented as a legitimate economic initiative, would in practice serve as a cover for galamsey, illegal small-scale mining which has devastated water bodies, farmlands, and forest reserves across Ghana’s Western Region in recent years.
The residents indicated they were unwilling to allow their lands to suffer the same fate as communities already ravaged by illegal mining activity, and rejected the project regardless of the political affiliation of those promoting it.
It was unclear whether the party intends to pursue the initiative through alternative means or engage further with the community.
The Jomoro District, located in the Western Region, has historically been sensitive to mining-related activities given the area’s proximity to natural resources and the broader national conversation around galamsey and environmental protection.
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