Enhancing Responsible Business in the Extractive Industry in Ghana: Reflections on the 2022 Appiatse Explosion.

Business-related human rights and environmental abuses are on the increase in the extractive industry (oil, gas and mining) in Ghana. The recent victim is the community of Appiatse in Ghana which suffered from an explosion of Ammonium Nitrate and Fuel Oil (ANFO). Maxam Ghana Ltd was transporting these chemicals to a mining site in Ghana. The government of Ghana found Maxam Ghana Ltd liable per its Mining Regulation (LI 2177) and imposed hefty fines on it. This paper reflects and highlights some business-related human rights issues arising from this incident. Then it suggests Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) as one of the tools that may be useful to address these issues and help achieve sustainable business operations in the extractive industry in Ghana. Essentially, RBC encourages businesses to incorporate international standards and guidelines into their business operations in addition to complying with national laws that help to respect human rights in the course of their operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]