KEY POINTS
- Illegal mining (galamsey) severely pollutes Ghana’s water sources and destroys farmland.
- Despite President Akufo-Addo’s efforts, the fight against galamsey faces setbacks.
- Corruption and lack of enforcement allow illegal mining to persist in Ghana.
Ghana, one of Africa’s largest gold producers, continues to suffer greatly from illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey. The effort to end galemsey has been met with countless failures.
The situation keeps getting worse as the days go by, resulting in severe environmental damage and negatively impacting the livelihood of many people and communities.
Environmental devastation
The barbaric practice of illegal mining has caused much damage to the natural resources of Ghana, especially the water bodies and the farmlands. Harmful chemicals such as mercury have also affected water bodies such as Pra, Birim, and Ankobra. It also affects the farmlands, which were made infertile and become of no productive value for farming.
In 2020 and 2023 GhanaWeb published a report which confirmed that Atewa Forest, one of the most important ecosystems in Ghana is also under threat from the activities of the galamsey operators.
These criminals cut down so many trees in the forest to pave the way for their unlawful activities. This contributes to soil erosion and increases the likelihood of flooding.
Perpetrators behind Galamsey
Illegal miners are propelled by factors such as poverty and unemployment most of the time. The rich ones are just greedy for more wealth; hence do whatever it takes to achieve their heart desires. The problem of galamsey intensifies due to support from foreigners, especially the Chinese.
It has been estimated that more than 50,000 Chinese gold seekers migrated to rural Ghana from 2008 to 2016 to indulge in the act of illegal mining. The techniques employed in this process are highly dangerous, which makes it lethal both to human beings and the natural world.
Corruption also has a role to play in the sustenance of galamsey. As Graphic Online reported, some local leaders and government officials take bribes and allow illegal miners to continue with their operations without facing the wrath of the law. This has greatly hindered the efforts of the government to eradicate the practice.
President Akufo-Addo’s unfulfilled promise
Although the current government of President Nana Akufo-Addo has created several measures in the fight against the menace of Illegal mining, the measures failed woefully.
In 2017, President Akufo-Addo publicly committed to ending ‘galamsey’ not minding the political implication. He formed the IMCIM and deployed Operation Vanguard in a bid to curb illegal miners. However, instead of illegal mining being eradicated, the practice continues to flourish in many regions of the country.
According to the report made to MyJoyOnline in 2022, Akufo-Addo admitted that his crusade against galamsey has not yielded positive results, during a dialogue with the National House of Chiefs. Some critics expressed discontent over his failures saying that the measures employed by Akufo-Addo in the past were not forceful enough, urging him to resign.
The country’s stakeholders need to join forces together to tackle this enemy that favours a few and destroys many, robbing the country of natural resources, which have the potential to contribute to economic growth.
