By Anastasia Antonelli
One of Ghana’s greatest challenges is illegal mining, also known as Galamsey. It’s having a devastating effect on the country’s ecosystems, communities, and economy. The action of Galamsey reveals a deeper systematic failure; weak law enforcement. Despite the government’s efforts to combat unlawful mining, it’s still an ongoing challenge where locals are suffering the consequences, and the manipulation of local politics, corruption, and a lack of accountability have allowed illegal miners to operate with confidence.
Galamsey persists despite numerous attempts to put a stop to it. In addition to harming the environment, it is undermining public confidence in the government’s capacity to enforce the law, according to a recent BBC report. Security personnel is frequently overburdened or dishonest; some officials have been known to accept bribes in order to permit illegal mining operations to go unchallenged, and the impact of Galamsey on communities has worsened because the failure to hold offenders accountable has encouraged more people and organizations to participate in the practice.
Rivers like the Pra, Ankobra, and Birim are being contaminated.
Farmlands have been destroyed, and water sources have been contaminated by hazardous compounds like mercury used by illegal miners. Thousands of people are left without access to clean water, and farmers find it difficult to cultivate their land, which impacts and worsens rural poverty in Ghana.
Corruption is the main challenge in the fight against Galamsey. Some politicians and law enforcement officials with financial interests in the mining industry may selectively apply laws to combat illegal mining, according to reports from ISS Africa. While major companies with political clout are permitted to operate, small-scale miners are too frequently the focus of inconsistent law enforcement, which leads to eroding support for any deterrence measure and increased public mistrust.
Despite the efforts made by Ghanian President John Mahama to fight Galamsey by sending a batch of trained blue water guards to provide 24-hour monitoring and protection of the nation’s water bodies, the public mocked the act with comments on social media (X and Facebook) such as “They will go collect bribes and come home”.
The repercussions of poor law enforcement go beyond harm to the environment. The BBC story emphasized how the situation is disproportionally affecting communities leading to a rise in respiratory illnesses and mercury poisoning. Ghana’s cocoa sector has also been hampered by illegal mining, as farmers leave their property in search of rapid financial gain from the extraction of gold. Given that Ghana is one of the world’s leading suppliers of cocoa, the financial times states that this change poses a challenge to the world’s chocolate supply.
Illegal mining causes the government to lose billions of dollars in tax revenue, which might otherwise be used to fund infrastructure, healthcare, and education. Instead, local populations receive little to no benefit from the gold being taken from their lands, and Ghana’s economy continues to struggle.
A drastic change in law enforcement is necessary to address the Galamsey situation. Stricter anti-corruption policies are needed for the government to stop officials from issuing permits for illegal mining operations. Special independent task forces free from political influence are needed to investigate and bring charges against those who run the Galamsey operations. It is also necessary to support community led projects that enable locals to report unlawful activity without worrying about retaliation.
Galamsey is a failure of law enforcement and government rule, in addition to being an environmental catastrophe. Illegal mining will keep destroying communities, putting public health at risk, and undermining Ghana’s economy unless the country’s legal system is strengthened and corruption is addressed head-on; now is the moment to take action!
I now suggest you share your thoughts and comments down below!
Leave a Reply