IN recent weeks, Ghana has seen renewed outcry over galamsey—a term used to describe illegal gold mining, which continues to ravage the country’s environment. While the issue has long been a point of contention, the scale of the devastation caused by irresponsible mining is now more apparent than ever. Forests are being decimated, farmlands ruined, and, most critically, Ghana’s rivers have turned into toxic, sludge-filled waterways.
Though galamsey technically refers to mining without a licence, even many licensed operators are responsible for similar levels of environmental destruction. Both small-scale and large-scale mining companies have been implicated, leaving Ghana’s water bodies poisoned and its lands scarred. Despite periodic military crackdowns and government action, the situation remains dire, exposing the systemic failures of leadership and governance in addressing this national crisis.
A hollow outcry
As I recently pointed out on social media, the problem of galamsey requires a more comprehensive understanding beyond the superficial outcry. However, this sentiment did not sit well with many, as the public is often caught up in a cycle of lamentation without truly addressing the root causes. These protests and outbursts, largely from the country’s elites, are futile because they fail to hold specific individuals or companies accountable.
Galamsey has significant support from local communities, where the activity is seen as a form of employment
The reality is that galamsey has significant support from local communities, where the activity is seen as a form of employment. In many rural areas, illegal miners are seen as breadwinners, and their work is considered a preferable alternative to crime. Moreover, many of these miners have backing from prominent figures within society. Powerful investors—often linked to politicians and influential elites—profit from illegal mining operations, creating an impenetrable network of corruption that fuels environmental degradation.
A Sisyphean task
Ghana’s government has attempted to tackle galamsey through military force, but these efforts have been largely ineffective. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the military launched several operations, including ‘Operation Flush Out’ and ‘Operation Vanguard,’ aimed at curbing illegal mining. However, these initiatives faltered as soldiers were compromised, and the operations discredited. The result was a flood of illegal miners—many of them from China—who introduced more destructive practices, such as the infamous changfang machines that have wreaked havoc on riverbeds.
Attempts to use military force have repeatedly failed, not because the issue is unsolvable, but because it is treated as merely a security issue rather than a complex social and economic problem deeply entrenched in communities.
Policy innovation and community engagement
Recognising the need for new strategies, the government introduced two additional approaches: technology and ‘alternative livelihoods.’ These were meant to address the underlying drivers of illegal mining, particularly unemployment. The government’s digitisation efforts sought to minimise human corruption by introducing drones to monitor mining sites. Meanwhile, ‘alternative livelihoods’ programmes aimed to create jobs in agriculture and other sectors to wean communities off mining.
However, these solutions were implemented poorly. The technological solutions, particularly drones, were touted as game-changers, but they turned out to be overpriced and ineffective. The drones, initially claimed to have military-grade capabilities, were nowhere near as advanced as the government had promised. Worse, there has been no accountability for the drones that were purchased—many of them cannot even be traced. The same goes for the monitoring equipment and software meant to support these technological initiatives, which were never properly deployed.
The government’s push for alternative livelihoods also fell short. The plan was to provide artisanal miners with gravity-based gold extraction machines to reduce mercury use and increase yields. But the gold kacha machines provided were overpriced, with government officials claiming each machine cost over $100,000, when in reality, they retail for less than $3,000. This exorbitant pricing has resulted in miners defaulting on payments, leaving the country saddled with millions in bad debt. The failure to provide the necessary auxiliary equipment further rendered these machines ineffective in transitioning miners to safer practices.
State enchantment and corruption
The core issue behind the failure of Ghana’s galamsey policies is what I call ‘state enchantment’—the process by which government initiatives are cloaked in lofty rhetoric to inspire patriotism, but are ultimately designed for personal gain. Every major policy is twisted into a profit-making opportunity for those in power. Political leaders manipulate the public’s desire for national progress, masking their true intentions of enriching themselves and their cronies.
Every major policy is twisted into a profit-making opportunity for those in power
This has been the case with both the drone programme and the provision of alternative livelihoods for miners. Instead of implementing genuine solutions to the galamsey crisis, policymakers have profited from inflated contracts, misallocated funds, and failed programmes. The gold extraction machines, like the drones, are emblematic of the larger problem: policies that sound great on paper but are destined to fail because they are designed with corruption in mind.
The World Bank’s role
Shockingly, the World Bank has continued to fund these initiatives despite their failure. In 2021, the World Bank approved a project to address galamsey in Ghana, which included buying more drones—this time, drones costing $25,000 each. This decision raises serious questions about the World Bank’s due diligence and whether any lessons were learned from the government’s previous drone debacle. Rather than providing more loans for ineffective solutions, there should be an inquiry into how these funds have been used, and accountability must be enforced.
Governance is the missing piece
At the heart of Ghana’s failure to tackle galamsey is a lack of proper governance. For decades, civil society groups have been calling for more transparency and accountability in the public sector. Yet, the same culture of impunity and corruption that has plagued other sectors of government has also infiltrated the fight against illegal mining.
The elites who are calling for an end to galamsey know full well that the issue cannot be solved without addressing the deeper systemic problems. The same corrupt motivations that have undermined public projects across the country are at play in the galamsey crisis. Without a fundamental change in how the government operates, no amount of technology or alternative livelihoods programs will solve the problem.
A call for real reform
Ghana’s galamsey crisis is a microcosm of the larger issues facing the country—corruption, lack of accountability, and the failure of governance. While the public outcry over illegal mining is warranted, the real challenge lies in addressing the systemic problems that have allowed this environmental disaster to persist. The focus should not be on quick fixes like military crackdowns or expensive drones but on implementing real reform at the governance level.
Ghana must break the cycle of state enchantment, where policies are designed to enrich the few at the expense of the many. Only through transparency, accountability, and genuine leadership can the country begin to solve the galamsey crisis and protect its environment for future generations.
Bright Simons is a Ghanaian social innovator, entrepreneur, writer, social and political commentator. He is the vice-president, in charge of research at IMANI Centre for Policy and Education. He is also the founder and president of mPedigree.
This op-ed is condensed from his blog, The Scarab. You may read the original version here.
