File photo of a man working on a gas pipelines
The Vice President of Genser Energy’s Natural Gas Pipeline, Henry Abeiku Oppong, has stated that illegal mining activities pose a significant threat to the company’s natural gas pipelines and communication cables, particularly in the Western and Ashanti Regions.
In an interview on the sidelines of the KNUST-Genser seminar held on Thursday, July 31, 2025, titled ‘Industrialisation: Building Ghana’s Natural Gas Highway’ with the theme ‘Fueling Ghana’s Future: Engineering Excellence in Natural Gas Infrastructure Development’, Oppong revealed that galamsey activities were taking place perilously close to pipeline corridors.
Specifically, he identified 15 communities where galamsey activities posed threats to the pipelines, citing instances where their communication cables had already been damaged, affecting operations.
To mitigate these risks, Oppong said the company had stepped up daily monitoring and surveillance, including employing local youth to monitor pipeline corridors and deploying drones for regular aerial surveillance.
Additionally, he said the company was engaging with community members to raise awareness about the dangers of illegal mining near gas pipelines and the importance of halting such operations.