Ghana is losing millions of dollars in salt revenue due to under exploitation of the resource and lack of effective government policies in the sector.
According to statistics, Ghana has the potential to produce up to three miiiion metric tonnes of salt annually along its 50 km coastal line.
Currently Ghana produces just about 250 thousand metric tonnes.
Communities along the Keta Lagoon such as Anlo-Afiadenyigba and Adina as well as those along the Songhor Lagoon at Ada have the highest potential.
Over the past few years, there have been growing concerns and heightened tensions among key stakeholders in the salt sector.
Along the Keta lagoon for instance, government’s decision to lease out a substantial proportion of the lagoon to private and foreign firms, effectively depriving local producers access to the resources and therefore disrupting livelihoods has been a major rallying point of community resistance.
Adina for instance, where Kensington, now Seven Sea Salt company is operating has become a hot-spot for sporadic demonstrations, some violent and fatal and conflicts.
In that particular community, residents accuse the company of drilling brime water from underground instead of drawing it from the sea.
This has affected the water table resulting in the drying up of the lagoon, thereby depriving them of their fishing and salt winning activities, which are their only sources of livelihoods for centuries.
Again, their source of potable water, ie hand dug wells have equally dried up and they now have to spend huge sums of money buying water.
They equally complain that their coconut plantations are dying because they hardly get water underground.
There are equally issues of pollution and salination of virtually everything because of the activities of this foreign company.
Similar concerns are emerging in and around Anlo Afiadenyigba where Diamond salt company is operating.
In all of these, the locals feel government and other state agencies are deliberating conniving with these foreign firms to just deprive them of their livelihoods.
These problems are compounded by flooding of the market with imported salt, which has affected the sale of local salt such that for almost four years some local producers have not been able to sell their products.
In all of these, government does not appear to have any blue print for the salt sector especially artisanal and small scale producers.
Just like the gold sector, government seems to be overly focused on foreign direct investment.
In a bid to address some of these challenges, government contracted some Cubans who have developed a master plan for Ada Songhor lagoon which carters for all interested parties.
It is believed that, that plan when replicated in all other salt producing communities, can work effectively.
It is instructive to note that the artisanal and small miners account for about two thirds of Ghana’s total salt output.
The ASM sector thus holds the key if the country is to tap the full potential of the sector.
Dr. Yao Graham of Third World Network says government must intervene with programs to build the capacity of these ASM miners in the area of Production and harvesting methods so as to improve the quality and marketability of their products.
Story by Bubu Klinogo
