State complicit in galamsey crisis, says top economist – Bokpin blames political interference and weak leadership

Renowned economist Prof Godfred Bokpin has launched a scathing critique of the Ghanaian state's approach to combating illegal mining, asserting that political interference and absence of leadership have transformed galamsey from a manageable problem into an existential threat to Ghana's environment and economy.

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile, Prof Bokpin, who teaches at the University of Ghana Business School, rejected the narrative that illegal mining is driven by economically desperate young people, instead pointing to a sophisticated network of politically connected individuals orchestrating large-scale environmental destruction with apparent impunity.

The leadership vacuum in Ghana's galamsey fight

Prof Bokpin's central argument centres on what he describes as a complete absence of decisive state leadership in tackling illegal mining. He invoked the biblical comparison from Judges 21:25 – "there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own eyes" – to characterise the current situation in Ghana's mining sector. According to his analysis, this leadership vacuum has created space for politically protected actors to operate with minimal consequences whilst enforcement efforts disproportionately target smaller, less influential operators.

The economist emphasised that Ghana's Constitution explicitly vests control of the nation's natural resources in the President, who holds them in trust for all Ghanaians. This constitutional framework, he argued, creates an unambiguous responsibility that has been abdicated. The scale of illegal mining has grown exponentially in recent years, he noted, but this escalation coincided with increased involvement by well-connected political figures rather than representing organic growth in the activity.

Why it matters for Ghana

Prof Bokpin's intervention highlights a critical disjunction between Ghana's economic management rhetoric and its environmental stewardship. He warned that sustainable economic development is impossible when the ecological foundations supporting that economy are being systematically destroyed. Illegal mining operations contaminate water bodies, degrade agricultural land, and release toxic substances into the environment – consequences that will reverberate through generations.

The galamsey crisis carries severe implications for Ghana's future prosperity. Water bodies across mining regions have become polluted, affecting farming communities and urban water supplies. Mercury contamination from illegal gold processing poses direct health risks. The destruction of forest cover undermines biodiversity and accelerates climate vulnerability. These environmental costs are not reflected in short-term political calculations but represent enormous long-term drains on national development.

Furthermore, Prof Bokpin's observation that heavy mining equipment like changfans requires substantial capital, technical expertise and import networks directly challenges the popular perception of galamsey as a informal survival strategy. A junior high school leaver cannot independently orchestrate such operations – this requires institutional support, financing arrangements, and protection from law enforcement. The focus on prosecuting individual miners whilst overlooking the powerful networks facilitating them represents, in his view, a deliberate misdirection.

The scale of political compromise

The economist's claim that politically connected persons have become increasingly central to illegal mining operations presents a serious governance challenge. If accurate, it suggests that Ghana's anti-galamsey efforts have been systematically compromised by the very state institutions tasked with enforcement. This would explain why crackdowns appear episodic and selective rather than comprehensive.

Prof Bokpin's intervention calls for urgent presidential action and genuine accountability mechanisms. Without decisive leadership that applies enforcement equally regardless of political connections, Ghana risks continued environmental catastrophe masked by performative arrests of lower-level operators.