Photo: Patrick Ndego addressing the press
An environmental watchdog has accused brazen sand miners of stripping a coastal defence at Gomoa Fetteh, leaving the sea wall little more than four feet from collapse and placing thousands of residents at immediate risk.
At a press conference on 15 September 2025, Eagle Eyesight Spirit said two local operators — Anthony Annan (aka Nii Bokorbokor) and Charles Graham (aka Kwesi Alhaji) — had removed about 1.4 million tonnes of sand from beaches around the Pentecost Convention Centre and the Marine Hotel. The group says the excavations have undermined the artificial sea wall that protects nearby towns from the Atlantic.
“The waves already cross the boundary at times. If the government does not act immediately, the sea could breach the wall and inundate Fetteh Kakraba, Tuba and Kasoa,” said Patrick Winibood Ndego, director of Eagle Eyesight Spirit.
Ndego alleged the miners boast of protection from powerful figures — even men “at the Flagstaff House” and within national security — and claimed police officers tipped off the crews ahead of inspections. Eagle Eyesight also said attempts to obtain clear documentation from the Minerals Commission have so far been unsuccessful.
The group described intimidation of would-be whistleblowers. Residents who complained, it said, have been threatened with guns, and an undercover journalist sent to film the activity was attacked and narrowly escaped on a motorcycle. “This is more dangerous than galamsey,” Ndego warned, calling the situation “a time bomb that could drown 25,000 residents.”
Eagle Eyesight has urged President John Dramani Mahama, the Minerals Commission, NADMO, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ghana Police Service to act without delay. The organisation vowed to name any public officials implicated once it completes further investigations. The Minerals Commission and the police have not publicly responded to the allegations.
Coastal sand mining is recognised by environmental advocates as a growing problem across West Africa: unregulated removal of sand erodes natural defences, accelerates shoreline retreat and increases communities’ vulnerability to storms and rising seas.
If the claims are substantiated, experts say immediate measures — halting extraction, stabilising the sea wall and prosecuting offenders — will be needed to avert a humanitarian and ecological disaster for the towns that line this stretch of coast.
About The Author
