A Rocha Ghana calls out government inaction on illegal mining as environmental damage escalates

Daryl Bosu, a prominent voice at A Rocha Ghana, has intensified calls for the government to demonstrate genuine commitment to tackling illegal small-scale mining, locally known as galamsey, warning that systemic failures are enabling environmental destruction across the country.

Speaking on the persistent challenge, Bosu emphasised that accountability mechanisms must be strengthened, calling for state officials and actors complicit in allowing galamsey operations to flourish to face legal consequences. His remarks reflect growing frustration within Ghana's environmental community over the gap between government rhetoric and enforcement action against the illegal mining sector.

The scale of Ghana's galamsey crisis

Illegal mining has become one of Ghana's most pressing environmental crises, contaminating water bodies, degrading agricultural land, and threatening biodiversity. Mining communities, particularly in regions like the Ashanti and Eastern regions, have reported severe water pollution and soil erosion linked to unregulated galamsey activities. The sector operates largely with impunity, despite multiple government crackdowns and policy announcements aimed at eliminating the practice.

Environmental organisations have documented widespread evidence of galamsey operations near protected forests, river systems, and residential areas, raising questions about the effectiveness of regulatory bodies tasked with preventing such activities. The involvement of both local operators and organised criminal networks has complicated enforcement efforts.

Why it matters for Ghana

The galamsey problem strikes at the heart of Ghana's development challenges. Beyond immediate environmental damage, illegal mining undermines legitimate mining operations, deprives the state of tax revenue that could fund public services, and poses direct health risks to communities through mercury contamination and unsafe working conditions.

For Ghana's agricultural sector—a cornerstone of rural livelihoods—galamsey-induced land degradation threatens food security and farmer incomes. Water contamination also increases pressure on Ghana's already strained healthcare and water supply systems, particularly in affected regions.

A Rocha Ghana's intervention highlights a critical governance gap: the need for institutional accountability. Bosu's call for consequences against complicit state actors acknowledges that galamsey persistence is not solely a criminal problem but also a failure of oversight, enforcement and political will. Without systemic accountability, anti-galamsey campaigns will continue to produce limited results.

The way forward

Effective action requires coordination across multiple agencies—the Environmental Protection Agency, Minerals Commission, police, and local authorities—coupled with genuine consequences for officials who turn a blind eye. Civil society organisations like A Rocha Ghana will likely continue pressuring government to translate policy into tangible enforcement and prosecutions.

The challenge ahead is whether Ghana's political leadership will match its environmental commitments with the resources, institutional reforms, and political courage needed to dismantle the galamsey economy.