Ghana’s fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, continues to suffer major setbacks due to weak prosecutions and emerging environmental threats, according to Ing Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, chief executive officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines and convenor of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining.
Speaking on the state of the campaign, Ashigbey said the absence of sustained prosecutions and convictions has undermined efforts to curb the practice, despite repeated public commitments by political leaders.
“Another challenge that we have faced is the lack of prosecution. We are not seeing convictions,” he said, arguing that law enforcement alone is insufficient without a coordinated justice framework. He called for closer collaboration among the Attorney General, the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief Justice and the President to ensure that offenders are not only arrested but successfully prosecuted.
Ashigbey recalled that in 2024, while campaigning, President John Mahama identified the “kingpins” behind galamsey as the root of the problem. However, he said there has been little visible action against those alleged masterminds.
“Unfortunately, we are not seeing the dealing with the kingpins,” Ashigbey said, questioning the status of high-profile investigations, including the Akonta Mining case. “What is happening to that?” he asked.
Beyond enforcement gaps, Ashigbey warned of a dangerous new dimension to illegal mining activities: the use of cyanide leaching by unregulated operators, some allegedly brought in from neighbouring Burkina Faso. He said these miners are practising in-situ leaching, where cyanide is poured directly into mining pits to extract gold.
Unlike large-scale mining companies, which use cyanide under strict supervision from the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ashigbey said illegal operators ignore safety standards. “When large-scale miners use cyanide, the pits are properly lined to prevent seepage into water bodies,” he explained.
In contrast, he said unregulated cyanide use has already contaminated water sources. He cited a recent case in the Ashanti Region where the EPA had to intervene after tests showed high levels of cyanide in a nearby borehole.
“We really are not out of the woods,” Ashigbey warned, describing the situation as a growing environmental and public health risk.
He urged authorities to act swiftly, stressing that failure to prosecute offenders and dismantle organised networks behind galamsey could undo years of progress and deepen water pollution, land degradation and community health crises across mining regions.