Illegal Mining Operations in Ghana Protected by Political and Business Elites, Says Dr. Yaw Graham
Dr. Yaw Graham of the Third World Network Africa has raised alarms over the escalating scale of illegal mining, or galamsey, in Ghana, calling it a highly organized, politically shielded operation.
According to Mr Graham, the upper echelons of this illicit trade are dominated by powerful figures—politicians, business leaders, chiefs, and security officials—who employ industrial excavators to devastate large swathes of land, far removed from the small-scale miners scraping for survival.
He further criticized the government’s decision to grant licenses to individuals linked to the ruling party to mine in protected forest reserves. “These licenses are essentially a green light for ecological destruction,” he remarked, highlighting that such mining activities were strictly prohibited before the current administration.
Mr Graham also pointed to internal controversies within the government itself, particularly around its 2017 initiative, Operation Vanguard, aimed at curbing illegal mining by deploying military personnel. While initially seen as a serious attempt to clamp down on galamsey, the effort has been undermined by politically connected individuals who are shielded from prosecution, often through high-level interventions.
The environmental toll of galamsey has been starkly visible in Ghanaian media, with images of once pristine rivers now choked with pollution. The Ghana Water Company has warned of skyrocketing costs to treat water, with some areas forced to abandon treatment altogether due to the presence of dangerous chemicals such as mercury, cyanide, and arsenic, all used in illegal gold processing.
Reports of contamination have even extended to local food sources, creating a public health crisis that threatens to deepen.
While government efforts have largely fallen short, Mr Graham emphasized that it is ordinary Ghanaians, not opposition parties, who are driving the pushback.
“This is not just about politics—it’s about the future of the country’s environment and the health of generations to come,” he said, underscoring the growing public demand for action.
