Urban environmental injustice in Ghana: The activities of small-scale palm oil producers in the Ahanta West District

Abstract

Urban residents are often subjected to different forms of environmental injustices that often ruin their well-being. This paper sought to examine environmental injustices caused by activities of small-scale palm oil producers in the Ahanta West District of Ghana and devised practical solutions to address the problem. A total of 152 respondents were used. Questionnaires (small-scale palm oil producers), focused group discussions (residents of the study area), in-depth interviews (2 key informants) and personal observation on the physical environment of Ahanta West District constituted the data collection techniques for the fieldwork. Incidents of pollution of water bodies, land degradation and bad environmental odour were key environmental problems caused by the activities of small-scale palm oil producers. It is therefore recommended that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ahanta West District Assembly should collaborate to strictly enforced Ghana’s environmental regulations. The activities of all small-scale palm oil producers should be constantly monitored by the EPA and those whose operations are deteriorating the environment should be sanctioned accordingly. The EPA should also organise frequent educational programmes for the small-scale palm oil producers to educate them on good environmental management practices to enhance the environmental sustainability of Ahanta West District