Ghana's Gold Rush Nightmare: Illegal Mining Crisis Spirals, Threatening Water and Future
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Digital Centres (GDCL), Christine Ansong, has urged the youth to pursue opportunities in the digital space as a substitute to illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey. The latter, Ms. Ansong says, is eroding the future of the country and that of generations to come, while digital jobs are the gateway to competing in the 21st century. “Going into the forests and depleting our reserves and polluting our water bodies harms all of us. It erodes your own future as well because these natural resources are needed for our collective survival,” Ms. Ansong noted. The Deputy CEO of GDCL stressed that, instead of galamsey, the youth should prioritise leveraging digital platforms and tech opportunities being rolled out by the government as a means of sustainable employment. “Last week, I was in Nigeria with other officials for the launch of GITEX Nigeria which is the first of its kind in the sub-region. We showcased some innovations from Ghana and urge more of the youth to join the tech industry.” Ms. Ansong was speaking on the back of JoyNews’ Newsfile discussion on galamsey on Saturday. President John Mahama had earlier reiterated the government’s commitment to fighting the menace in an interaction with the media but insisted declaring a state of emergency would be a last resort. Backing the President, Ms. Ansong noted that the government is fully committed to ending the destruction of natural resources by irresponsible mining and that the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) is the key. Tags: Christine Ansong Galamsey----Director of Communications for the Bawumia Campaign Team, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has argued that the former Environment Minister, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng’s report on illegal mining implicates the National Democratic Congress (NDC) more than the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 20, Mr Aboagye said the NDC cannot rely on the report as a basis for criticism without acknowledging that it highlights a deeper involvement of their members in galamsey activities. “The report is clear. It says that there are far more NDC people engaged in illegal mining. So if Professor Frimpong Boateng’s report is what they want us to work with, and indeed, it is established in that report that there are far more NDC people involved in illegal mining,” Mr Aboagye said. Citing page 13 of the report, Mr Aboagye noted that the former Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining explicitly stated that the NDC benefited more from access to resources linked to illegal mining. “Professor Frimpong Boateng says that the NDC was given an advantage in terms of access to resources from mining. "This is because there are far more NDC people engaged in illegal mining than NPP members in the region. This is in Professor Frimpong Boateng’s report,” he stressed. He further argued that if the report is to be the yardstick, then the NDC “has no business being in office” because, in his view, it indicts them more than it does the NPP. Tags: Dennis Miracles Aboagye Galamsey NDC----Economist and political risk analyst, Dr Theophilus Acheampong, has called for stronger safeguards in Ghana’s gold sector to prevent illegally mined gold from entering the formal export system. Speaking on JoyNews’s Newsfile on Saturday, September 20, Dr Acheampong said GoldBod must guarantee that none of the gold it purchases originates from galamsey operations. “We need to ensure that every gram that GoldBod is buying is actually not galamsey gold. We need the chain of custody, and we need to be able to prove that at the end of the day it is not galamsey gold that is entering the formal systems,” he stated. Highlighting the significance of the mineral to Ghana’s economy, Dr Acheampong cited Bank of Ghana statistics showing that the country’s total exports between January and August 2025 amounted to around $18 billion. Of this, gold exports alone contributed $11.2 billion – representing roughly 62 to 63 per cent of total exports. “For all of last year, our total exports were about $12 billion. If you break down this year’s figure, gold remains the largest contributor, coming from both the small-scale and large-scale sectors. "It is therefore very important that we ensure the system stands,” he added. Tags: Dr Theophilus Acheampong Galamsey Goldbod----Private legal practitioner and law lecturer Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee has urged Ghana to adopt a depoliticised, state-led strategy in tackling illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. She stressed that sustainable progress can only be achieved if institutions are equipped to act effectively, regardless of which party is in power. “It doesn’t matter whether the NDC is in power or the NPP is in power. We need a state institution that is capacitated to understand the problem from all angles and to continuously deal with it, so that we are in a better position to solve the problem in the long term,” she said on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday. Ms. Kasser-Tee dismissed suggestions that she had ever called on either former President Nana Akufo-Addo or President John Dramani Mahama to declare a state of emergency as part of the fight against galamsey. “Right from the Nana Addo days, I never said anywhere that President Nana Akufo-Addo should declare a state of emergency. I never said that – it is insinuated that I said that. And I have never told President Mahama also to declare a state of emergency,” she clarified. While acknowledging that illegal mining poses one of the country’s gravest national challenges, Ms. Kasser-Tee argued that resorting to a state of emergency is not the most appropriate solution. She warned that such a move could trigger serious human rights concerns without guaranteeing lasting results. “I understand the potentials for human rights when states of emergency are declared. I am not persuaded that that is going to necessarily solve the problem from the evidence that I have seen,” she explained. Ms. Kasser-Tee maintained that Ghana’s best hope lies in strengthening institutions, insulating them from political influence, and ensuring they have the capacity to respond consistently to the galamsey menace. Tags: Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee Galamsey State of Emergency----Political risk analyst and Economist Dr. Theo Acheampong has dismissed calls for a state of emergency as the ultimate solution to Ghana’s illegal mining crisis, stressing that the fight requires long-term and systemic reforms. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on September 20, he argued that such a declaration would only provide a temporary fix without addressing the root causes of galamsey. “I don’t think a state of emergency is necessarily what will solve the problem. It’s an ad hoc call and an extemporaneous measure, but really the long-term radical solutions that we need to do, some of the things that are on the table that we should have been doing, are the things that we are not doing,” he said. Dr. Acheampong noted that while deploying soldiers to galamsey sites may create the impression of progress, it ultimately fails to deliver lasting results. “For the optics, it may look good; you may see some soldiers going to clear the galamsey sites and what not, but at the end of the day, if you don’t really take the long-term measures to try and improve things—repeal some of those laws, deal with the supply-site issues in terms of the people financing the operations—we are all just going to be kidding ourselves really at the end of the day. And that is what really must go into the intervention that we make,” he stated. He stressed that while the Constitution provides room for emergency powers, the country’s approach to illegal mining should focus on consistency, systemic action, and better coordination. “As for the constitutional provisions, it’s there, but it requires systemic action, and what we need is consistency and what we need is more coordination. I don’t even think that the Minerals Commission necessarily is the one to wholly deal with this; they are part of the problem,” he added. Tags: Dr. Theo Acheampong Galamsey State of Emergency----Political Risk Analyst and Economist, Dr. Theo Acheampong, has sounded the alarm over the scale of illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey in Ghana, warning that the country faces a worsening crisis if bold and radical measures are not taken. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 20, he revealed that the vast majority of small-scale mining operations are unregulated. “70% of all small-scale mining activities are not licensed, and even amongst those that are licensed, we are not even too sure of the mining practices that they are using, and that is further adding to or compounding the scale of the problem,” he cautioned. According to him, the issue has persisted for years due to weak regulatory oversight and poor enforcement. “So we begin to see quite clearly that we have a major problem on our hands, and this is not something just today,” he noted. Dr. Acheampong insisted that drastic action is now required, saying, “We need to do something different; we need to do something we may call radical.” However, he rejected suggestions that declaring a state of emergency is the right solution, pointing to the failures of previous militarised interventions. “Where I sort of disagree a little bit is in terms of the state of emergency because we have had similar interventions in the past. Others talk about Operation Vanguard and Operation Halt; we had these militarised sweeps into different mining enclaves and different mining sites. "But as soon as the troops leave, as soon as the security forces leave, you then have the miners and the people going back to engage in the same sort of operation,” he explained. “So I think fundamentally, if you impose a state of emergency, that is just going to be a short-term solution. It doesn’t fundamentally address what I call the supply-side issue that is actually driving the menace. Because again, we have done a number of these interventions, and it has not really worked,” he added. Proposing a more sustainable path, Dr. Acheampong called for urgent reforms in Ghana’s mining laws, starting with the repeal of legislative instrument 2462. “The first thing, for me, is let’s repeal that L.I. 2462. That is part of the problem. The L.I. that gives the government, and to that extent the Minerals Commission and other bodies, the authority to license in forest reserves. That is unconditional,” he stated. He further reminded the government of earlier promises made to deal with the issue. “When the NDC was campaigning in opposition, they made statements to the effect that when they come into power, they would repeal that. It’s nine months down the line, and we need to see some actions related to that,” he added. Tags: Dr. Theo Acheampong Galmsey Lincensed small scale mining----Emeritus Bishop of the Konongo-Mampong Diocese, Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu, has sounded a strong warning on the devastating impact of illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, stressing that Ghana’s survival is at stake if drastic action is not taken. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, he cautioned that while leaders focus on the potential economic gains from gold exports, the destruction of water bodies and arable land could leave Ghana uninhabitable. According to him, the country faces an existential threat. “Ghana is at war. We are not at war with Togo, or Ivory Coast, or Burkina Faso. We are at war with galamsey. And if we don’t take care, a time will come when we will get plenty of gold exports, but then there will be no water to drink. And Ghana will cease to exist,” he warned. He further cautioned against focusing only on revenue while ignoring environmental destruction. “At the end of the day, when you get all this gold, will you be able to eat it? Will you be able to drink it? You need water to drink. You need good water for all kinds of things. And so the President should listen to all these groups that are speaking.” Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu stressed that the fight against galamsey must transcend partisan politics. “The right thing should be done. Whether it’s an NDC government or an NPP government, Ghana comes first. Our welfare comes first. And so whatever needs to be done should be done,” he added. Tags: Galamsey Gold Most Rev. Joseph Osei-BonsuPelumi Ilesanmi • Across Africa • 9 months ago • 1 minute read •
Ghana is grappling with an escalating crisis of illegal small-scale mining, commonly known as galamsey, a menace that threatens the nation's environmental integrity, economic stability, and future generations. Discussions on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 20, highlighted the multi-faceted nature of the problem, drawing perspectives from various experts and officials on its devastating impacts and potential solutions.
Christine Ansong, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Digital Centres (GDCL), vehemently urged the youth to abandon galamsey for opportunities in the digital space. She stressed that illegal mining activities, which involve
Loading...