Ghana’s so-called “galamsey,” illegal gold mining, has wrought environmental catastrophes, poisoning the nation’s water bodies, ravaging farmlands, and piling public anger. Artist Israel Derrick Apeti, known as Enil Art, recently painted using the thick, discolored water of the polluted Pra River, a symbol of the environmental damage mercury-contaminated water poses in open-gold-mining activities.
The miners, encouraged by rising gold prices in the world market, mine the metal with mercury, poisoning rivers like Pra, which were once purest sources of water. The mercury stays within water for over 1,000 years and kills food chains and agricultural lands. WaterAid used the word to describe this act as “ecocide” and calls for immediate action to put a halt to the genocide.
Communities along rivers like the Pra grouse about changes in what used to be ‘sweet waters’ into increasingly turbid, yellowish-brown streams. Cocoa plantations, a cash earner for Ghana, have also been badly hit, with some 19,000 hectares of farmland lost, thereby leading to low production. Rice farmers in the Ahafo region also bemoan the situation of not being able to use rivers for irrigation purposes due to pollution.
Illegal mining was a smalltime, primitive operation, but this has changed with the involvement of Chinese and local businessmen. This “mad gold rush” in places like Ashanti is suspected to involve corrupt officials and powerful individuals who always seem to find avenues to get out of incarceration. In these regions, police continue to detain and seize equipment despite illegal mining continuing unabated, and illegal miners often return at night after raids.
Public pressure went higher with the protesters storming the streets of Accra, crying out that there should be a stop to galamsey. Protesters on social media #stopgalamseynow, #freethecitizens not only gathered in Ghana, but also worldwide for slogan chanting. Even the musicians were not left behind: Black Sherif and Stonebwoy use their concerts to advocate for the cause.
He has been lampooned for not stopping galamsey within two terms. Even when he deployed navy boats to stop mining in rivers, his efforts are not enough. Again, because of political reasons ahead of the December general election, most of the illegal miners support the ruling party.
As the environmental cost continues to climb, Ghana risks losing access to clean water, with warnings it may need to import water by 2030 if illegal mining is not halted. This remains despite promises made by President Akufo-Addo in 2017 that “let our rivers work again” and that he will find alternative livelihoods for miners as criticism persists that the situation has deteriorated, endangering the future of the country.
The battle against galamsey transcends pollution and environmental degradation; it articulates some of the deeper problems with economic inequality, political corruption, and the challenge of balancing resource wealth with sustainable development.