Galamsey: Is Ghana a Country of Mad People or a Country with Insane Leaders?

“Quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat” (“Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad”).

I am sure many readers will find the title of this article insulting to the Ghanaians and disrespectful to our leaders, or perhaps, me being arrogant. I beg to differ because from what I have read, heard and seen regarding galamsey or illegal mining in Mother Ghana, there are no better words to describe them than my choice of words and for that reason alone, I plead no forgiveness.

For over a decade, I have read, heard and seen reports, documentaries and videos of galamsey activities in Ghana and its negative and destructive impact. However, nothing prepared me for what I saw and heard on 7 September 2024 edition of Newsfile and since then. The aerial views of the wanton destruction of our rivers and water bodies, forest reserves, cocoa farms, farmlands, the environmental degradation and even towns and homes in the name of extracting gold; the lackadaisical approach by both elected and appointed leaders and the failure by regulatory bodies to stop galamsey menace, scare me to the core.

Prof Kwesi Aning described galamsey or small-scale mining as an existential threat to Ghana. He is right, but I will even go further than that because from what I saw, galamsey operations in Ghana showed early signs of the presence of a failed state. I will explain this later. The present state of galamsey is not small-scale mining because small-scale mining does not involve heavy-duty equipment such as earth moving machines, including excavators, tree cutting harvester and chanfan machines or sand dredgers that are being deployed.

The aerial views showed scenes of Armageddon, and it was obvious that as a people, we have either gone mad, become insane or are lunatics that have turned on the state to destroy the country for short-term personal gain. In other words, we have become self-destructive. I say so because the havoc caused by illegal mining is irrational and inexplicable. As a country and a people, we have lost our conscience, our state of reasoning and the ability to act rationally. In fact, self-destruction is what happens during armed conflict, civil war, armed insurrection, terrorism, violent civil disobedience, etc. The irony in this case is that there is none of these situations in Ghana. Ghana is an oasis of peace in a continent that conflict is not unusual.

There was public anger against galamsey before the December 2024 parliamentary and president elections to the point that the then Nana Akufo-Addo government was in the process of revoking the Legislative Instrument (L1) 2462 that granted the president powers to grant licence to mine in forest reserves. This was supported by then opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC) and their presidential candidate. Come 7 January 2025 and NDC became the party in government and what happens? Not only nothing has changed on the galamsey front but ministers now say LI 2462 will not be revoked but repealed not to allow individuals to mine in forest reserves (see, “Amendment of LI 2462: Complete ban will clip wings of EPA - Armah-Kofi Buah”, Ghanaweb, 24 March 2025 and “Government has begun the process of banning galamsey in forest areas - Murtala Mohammed”, Ghanaweb, 5 April 2025).

President Mhama and his government should not take Ghanaians for granted because they have a huge majority in parliament. Are they listening to themselves? Who told them that individuals were those mining in forests reserves? The licences are granted to companies and not individuals and therefore they should stop insulting the intelligence of Ghanaians. LI 2462 must be revoked, period. The excuse by NDC that revoking LI 2462 will result in judgement debt from foreign companies and therefore must be repealed is unacceptable. It’s our forest reserves and Ghanaians must not allow foreign companies to destroy them at our expense.

Galamsey made me wonder if we as Ghanaians fully understand the full implications of our self-destructive galamsey operations and if so, why do allow the menace to go unchecked? Many would say that galamsey is the work of only a tiny minority and not all Ghanaians. Well, by our collective failure to stop that tiny minority from this self-destructive canker, we are equally complicit and guilty.

I hate to be a prophet of doom or engage in self-fulfilling prophesy, but I also do not want to play the ostrich because the consequences from the use of dangerous chemicals such as mercury and cyanide in illegal mining operations that have polluted our rivers, water bodies and land will be with us for generations to come. Already there is ample evidence that these dangerous chemicals are beginning to show their ugly face through birth defects and illness because they are present in untreated water being used in gamalsey areas. Therefore, Ghanaians will in future be drinking and eating ourselves to death.

The destruction of the forest reserves will also cause negative environmental changes in Ghana, which will result low rainfall and potential poor crop harvest. This could also cause food shortage in Ghana and lower cocoa exports.

One may say, I don’t live in a galamsey area so I will not be affected. That is delusional and a fool’s paradise because food planted and harvested in galamsey areas are sold across Ghana. Therefore, no Ghanaian is safe from the indiscriminate use of the dangerous chemicals in gamalsey operations. Even those of us in the Diaspora will not be spared by the negative effects of galamsey in Ghana as long as we continue to eat food and vegetables from Ghana such as yam, plantain, cocoyam, garden eggs, okra that were planted on galamsey polluted farmlands. We will also experience the same health problems being manifested in Ghana by those in galamsey areas.

There is also the risk of Ghana’s cash crops and food exports being banned in the developed world because of contamination from pollution. In the long term, the consequences of galamsey on Ghana and the people of Ghana will be far beyond the confines of Ghana and today’s generation.

The role of foreigners, especially Chinese in the destruction of rivers, water bodies, forest reserves, cocoa farm, farmlands and the environment is mind-boggling. It beggars belief how Ghana allow foreigners to come to the country to exploit our mineral resources and cause such destruction with impunity and still watch this madness to continue unabated? Just this week there are reports of an Association of China Mining being formed to support Chinese Miners in Ghana. Foreigners cannot do small scale mining in Ghana so why this association? I am not trying to blame the Chinese because they are brought in and assisted by Ghanaians to disrespect us. In fact, if these Chinses did what they are doing in Ghana in their own country by polluting rivers, destroying forest reserves, cocoa, farmlands and the environment, they would be arrested, charged, tried, sentenced to death and executed. Therefore, why do we allow them to do this to us? Are we fools or just unpatriotic? Do we love money more that our country and our health?

I have argued in the past that there were no conditions in Ghana that could met any of the indicators of a failed state, However, after what I have been seeing and heard with galamsey operators wielding arms, able to stop armed police operations in their areas of operation, there is no doubt in my in mind that Ghana could be on a slippery slope to becoming a failed state if the menace of galamsey is not stopped as a matter of urgency, in months not years. Why?

The term “failed state” is legal one with defined criteria on what constitutes a failed state. Among them are the absence central authority over the territory of the state, the occupation and control of some territory of the state, the presence of armed conflict, control of some areas of the country by war lords and criminals such as drug gangs. The question is, are any of these factors in present in Ghana?

From what is happening with galamsey, my answer is yes, though in very early stages. From all indications the state has lost control of the some galamsey areas through abrogation of duty. Again, the illegal miners are armed and do prevent people including security agencies from stopping their operations and are willing to used arms to defend their activities. We were also told that some forcibly take over lands including cocoa and farmlands from their owners pay them whatever they want and mine the lands for gold.

From the above, it is reasonable to conclude that Ghana has no control over those areas. Galamsey is an illegal enterprise, and the people are using arms to defend their illegal activities. Therefore, they are no different from criminal gangs controlling a portion of Ghana’s territory and preventing security agencies from entering there. These are early indicators of a failed state because if galamsey operations are not brought to an immediate end, it will spread far with more arms being acquired to defend the illegal activities and any attempt by the state to use force to retake control of those areas could result in armed conflict and the risk of a failed state.

How did we get here? The answer is simple. Our inability and or our unwillingness to enforce and comply with the laws, rules and regulations is the direct cause of galamsey operation and the catastrophic consequences facing us all. There is total dereliction and abrogation of duty by all of us as Ghanaians but particularly, our elected and appointed leaders. Our love for money instead of country has led all of us to turn a blind eye to what is happening. Our leaders, from politicians, public servants, chiefs to community leaders have all failed us.

Ghana is the only country in the world that failure to punish wrongdoing and criminal acts is almost the norm rather than the exception. A District Judge ordered that equipment being used for illegal mining be returned to their criminal owners on the excuse he was unaware of the law criminalising mining in forest reserves (see, Enchi court directs Forestry Commission to release confiscated machines to illegal miners after arrest”, Ghanaweb, 31 March 2025). At best, transfer is used to sanction failed public officers so the Interior Minister asked the new Inspector General of Police to transfer District Police Commanders who fail to stop with galamsey in their districts (see, “New police commanders have three months to deliver or be transferred – Muntaka”, Ghanaweb, 4 April 2025). It’s high time non-performance becomes sanctionable. For example, all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives must be given performance targets to stop illegal mining in their areas, ensure rivers in Ghana return to their natural state within a specified period or be sacked.

President John Dramani Mahama, your reset agenda MUST include the immediate revocation of LI 2462, stopping illegal mining, restoring rivers, waters bodies and reclaiming our forest reserves. The current goodwill you and your government enjoy will not last long if you fail to deal effectively with the menace of galamsey. We need the equipment being used for galamsey to reclaim the destroyed land. Therefore, it does not make sense to burn them as burning causes more environmental pollution (air pollution).

Revoke LI 2462, stop illegal mining, reclaim destroyed lands, restore rivers and water bodies; punish those who engage in illegal mining, as well as mining near and on rivers and let Ghanaian rivers recover their pristine state of nature and you will be remembered as the president who saved Ghana from the galamsey.

Kofi Ata

Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK