Destructive impact of illegal mining is a threat to Ghana

Illegal small-scale mining in Ghana is destroying the environment, making people ill, adding to water scarcity and damaging farmlands and crops such as cocoa. 

Galamsey, as it’s known locally, can also include large mining firms operating against the law. It is carried out by Ghanaians and foreigners, including Chinese and West African nationals from Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire. The Africa Defense Forum military magazine reports that from 2008 to 2013, more than 5,000 Chinese entered the country to mine gold illegally.

The government’s fightback started over three decades ago in 1989 with the Small-scale Gold Mining Act, which aimed to legalise artisanal mining and prevent illegal activities. Since then, successive governments have tried unsuccessfully to combat the problem. 

The 2006 Minerals and Mining Act reserved small-scale mining for Ghanaian citizens and instituted alternative livelihood and community programmes for those dependent on galamsey. In 2013, a joint task force comprising military and other security personnel was established, leading to 4,500 Chinese miners being deported. 

When Nana Akufo-Addo took over as president in 2017, he indicated he was prepared to put his presidency on the line to fight galamsey. He set up the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining that same year, chaired by the environment minister. 

Since then, the state has pursued high-cost interventions such as deploying soldiers in various missions to arrest illegal miners, including Operation Halt, Operation Vanguard, Operation Flush Out and Galamstop. In some instances, mining equipment like excavators were seized and burned. 

Earlier this month, Ghana’s attorney general and justice minister, Godfred Yeboah Dame, said 76 people had been convicted since August 2021, and more than 850 were facing trial over galamsey. The state has also introduced community mining programmes to regulate small-scale mining and ensure responsible extraction.

However, none of these efforts has produced the desired results – the galamsey problem continues to escalate, exacerbating its environmental impact. The use of heavy equipment, such as excavators and bulldozers, has destroyed forests, river bodies and farmlands. Major rivers like the Pra, Ankobra, Oti, Offin and Birim have all been contaminated. 

The Ghana Water Company Limited warned this month of severe water scarcity if galamsey is not curtailed. It has recorded water turbidity levels of 14,000 NTU (nephelometric turbidity units), far above the 2,000 NTU required for adequate treatment. Experts say the country could be importing water by 2030. Research links water pollution from galamsey to chronic diseases such as kidney failure, birth defects and cancer, as seen in many of Ghana’s mining communities. 

The Forestry Commission has voiced concerns about the continued destruction of major forests. Already, 34 of the country’s 288 forest reserves have been affected by illegal mining, with the devastation of 4,726 hectares of forest land. Many major reserves have already been destroyed by these illicit activities. 

Galamsey is also destroying farmlands, particularly cocoa. Ghana Cocoa Board data shows that production, currently at 429,323 tonnes, is less than 55% of its seasonal output, mainly due to illegal mining. In the Mankurom community alone, galamsey has wiped out more than 100,000 acres of cocoa.

Critical voices, including labour unions, religious groups and eminent Ghanaians, have called on the government to curb the problem. They have asked the president, among others, to declare a state of emergency to stop all mining activities, especially in forest reserves and around water bodies. 

These calls are a step in the right direction, but government commitment is vital. Previous efforts to curb galamsey failed mainly due to corruption and a lack of political will. For example, to date, 500 excavators seized from these illegal activities have gone missing without a trace. 

Key state officials, party financiers and high-ranking politicians have been named as culprits, but have not been prosecuted. The government’s own Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining report implicated some state and ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) members. 

Also, Akonta Mining, owned by the Ashanti Region’s NPP chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, was reported to be mining in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve without a lease, mineral rights or permit. Although Ghana’s lands and natural resources minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, directed the company to stop operations, no prosecution has taken place. 

There are fears that strictly enforcing the law against galamsey could damage the ruling party’s electoral fortunes. The NPP believes clamping down on galamsey contributed to the loss of parliamentary seats in mining communities during the 2020 elections.

Combating galamsey must go beyond talking and setting up committees. All mining activities around water bodies and forest reserves should be banned. The law allowing the president to grant executive approval for mining in forest reserves should be revoked. 

The president should also deal with offenders in his party and government, and dismiss all district chief executives responsible for areas where galamsey is taking place. 

An independent, non-partisan commission is needed to probe all mining companies’ leases, permits and activities to ensure their operations are legal. Transgressors must be swiftly prosecuted to demonstrate the government’s intent. To assist, the judiciary could set up special courts to adjudicate galamsey issues.

The National Commission for Civic Education must raise public awareness, especially in mining communities, on the destructive effect of illegal small-scale mining. 

Traditional authorities must discipline traditional leaders who are complicit, as Ashanti ruler Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II has recently done. These leaders should also mobilise community protection groups to monitor and report illegal mining to the appropriate authorities. DM

Enoch Randy Aikins is a researcher, African Futures and Innovation, Institute for Security Studies (ISS).

First published by ISS Today