Minerals over Funeral: Avoiding the Political Gimmicks of Dancing between LI-Revocation and Security Activation

Natural resources are meant to be blessings, not curses. The bedrock of Ghana’s prosperity is dependent on its Gold, bauxite, manganese, Cocoa and oil. Instead, illegal small-scale mining,

a.k.a Galamsey, has turned them into a threat to survival. Resultant effects include vanishing forests, poisoned rivers, a decrease in the labour force due to premature death and a surge in kidney diseases linked to heavy metals in water. Yet the government’s response remains a tired routine: revoke licenses today, send security personnel tomorrow, seize a few excavators for the cameras, then quietly return to business as usual. This is the politics of spectacle, dancing between license revocations and security raids, while the crisis deepens. What Ghana is witnessing is the triumph of minerals over funerals, where short-term profit is valued above the lives and health of Ghanaians.

The statistics are quite disconcerting. For example, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources indicates that over 5,252 hectares of land have been adversely affected by Galamsey operations. Furthermore, 44 out of Ghana's 288 forest reserves have experienced degradation. A report from the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana reveals that small-scale miners now contribute 39.4 percent of the nation's total gold output, marking a noteworthy achievement. Nonetheless, this statistic also highlights the deep-rooted nature of the practice among certain illegal miners. Meanwhile, Ghana loses approximately $2 billion each year in taxes and royalties, according to the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GHEITI) 2023 Mining Sector Report, funds that could be allocated to the enhancement of educational and healthcare facilities. In a recent enforcement operation, it was reported that 425 excavators were confiscated. Nevertheless, in the communities that are impacted, the machines inevitably reappear, as the financiers who support them remain untouched.

Every revocation without reform, every raid without restitution, is a gimmick. It buys political time while selling the country’s future.

The implications are far from theoretical. The practice of Galamsey has transformed rivers such as the Pra and Ankobra into hazardous waterways contaminated with mercury and arsenic. Health authorities, academic institutions, and research findings associate this contamination with the increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease, a silent epidemic posing a significant threat to Ghana's future. Cocoa, historically the cornerstone of Ghana's agricultural economy, is now being displaced by mining operations, resulting in diminished exports and posing a significant risk to food security. In summary, the economic landscape is deteriorating, the ecological systems are in disarray, and the well-being of the Ghanaian populace is jeopardized.

It is time to break the cycle. Ghana needs a new framework: the 4Rs—Revoke, Reset, Reorient, Restart.

Firstly, to revoke signifies a thorough and transparent rectification of the mining registry, rather than a selective endeavour. The more than 900 licenses presently under investigation ought to undergo public scrutiny, with all unlawfully obtained licenses being revoked. Excavators that have been confiscated should not be relegated to obscurity through recycling; rather, they ought to be permanently forfeited, with the resulting proceeds directed towards land reclamation efforts.

Furthermore, Reset necessitates a reconfiguration of institutional frameworks. Ghana requires a legally empowered Anti-Galamsey Authority that operates independently, endowed with the authority to supervise licenses, enforce adherence to regulations, and disseminate periodic reports. Technology must occupy a central role; artificial intelligence, drones, and satellite imagery possess the capability to monitor mining activities in real time, thereby revealing both the operators and the officials who may be complicit. Concurrently, gold transactions must be rendered digital and subject to traceability. Without dismantling the smuggling networks, the issue of Galamsey will persist indefinitely.

Moreover, Reorient engages with the concept of livelihoods. The absence of viable options and the pervasive nature of poverty compel communities to engage in Galamsey activities. The government ought to consider the formalization of small-scale miners into cooperatives, providing them with training in mercury-free techniques and granting them legal access to markets, contingent upon adherence to environmental regulations. Bonds must be established for land restoration. In conjunction with this, investment in agroforestry and the rehabilitation of cocoa can foster sustainable livelihoods for the communities impacted.

Finally, Restart emphasizes the process of restoration and recovery. The government is urged to promptly ensure the provision of clean water and implement health interventions in the districts that have been adversely affected. Mobile purification units and routine kidney screenings are not mere luxuries; they represent critical imperatives that demand immediate attention. A Land Restoration Trust, supported by confiscated assets and penalties, ought to underwrite extensive reforestation and soil rehabilitation initiatives.

None of this is cheap, but the cost of inaction is already greater. Poisoned rivers, abandoned cocoa farms, collapsing revenues, and lives lost to kidney failure are draining the nation faster than gold is enriching it. Ghana is at a crossroads. The old cycle of revocations and raids has failed. The political dance may dazzle on TV, but it is hollow where it matters most, on poisoned farmlands and in villages drawing water from polluted streams. To continue down this path is to mortgage tomorrow for temporary gain.

The alternative is bold but possible: revoke licenses transparently, reset institutions, reorient livelihoods, and restart the environment and public health. If the government embraces this framework, resources can once again become blessings. If not, the drums of Galamsey will beat louder, drowning out the very future of the nation. The choice is stark. Ghana must decide: Minerals or Funerals.

Bright Kwadwo Oduro is a teaching and research assistant and columnist dedicated to exploring issues related to development and film as a tool for education, policy engagement, and civic transformation. He writes the weekly series “Film as a Developmental Tool in Ghana”.