Galamsey

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Galamsey is illegal small-scale gold mining in Ghana.^[1] The term is derived from the phrase "gather them and sell".^[2] Illegal miners are known as galamseyers, or orpailleurs in neighboring Francophone nations^[which?].^[3] The practice is also referred to as illegal artisanal small-scale mining (ASM).^[4]

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Galamseyers dig small working pits, tunnels, and sluices by hand. Generally, they can dig only to a limited depth, far shallower and smaller than commercial gold mining companies. Under current Ghanaian law, it is illegal for galamseyers to dig on land granted to mining companies as concessions or licenses. Most galamseyers find gold in free metallic dust form, or they process oxide or sulfide gold ore using liquid mercury.

The number of galamseyers in Ghana is unknown but believed to range from 20,000 to 50,000, including thousands from China.^[5] The Minster of Information, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, claimed in May 2017 that there are now 200,000 people engaged in galamsey, and according to other sources, there are nearly 3 million who rely on it for their livelihoods.^[5] They mostly operate in the southern part of Ghana, where there are substantial reserves of gold deposits, usually within the environs of the larger mining companies. Galamsey settlements are usually poorer than neighboring agricultural villages. They have high rates of accidents and are exposed to mercury poisoning from their crude processing methods. Many women are among the workers, acting mostly as porters for the miners. In some cases, galamseyers are the first to discover and work extensive gold deposits before mining companies find out and take over.

The main motives for people to engage in galamsey is youth unemployment and lack of job security.^[6][7] Young university graduates rarely find work, and when they, do it hardly sustains them. The result is that these youth go the extra mile to earn a living for themselves and their families.^{[citation needed]}

The causes of illegal gold mining include bureaucratic licensing regimes/weak legal frameworks, political/traditional leadership failures, and corrupt officials. Further compounding the problem are socioeconomic factors and proliferation of foreign miners/mining equipment.^[8]

On 13 November 2009, a collapse occurred in an illegal, privately owned mine in Dompoase, in the Ashanti Region. At least 18 workers were killed, including 13 women, who worked as porters for the miners. Officials described the disaster as the worst mine collapse in Ghana,^[9] while the 2022 Bogoso explosion is the worst mining-related disaster in the nation's history.^[10]

Illegal mining damages the land as well as water supply.^[11] Galamsey activities have depleted Ghana's forest cover and caused water pollution, due to the crude and unregulated nature of the mining process.^[12][13] In March 2017, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, gave galamseyers a three-week ultimatum to stop their activities or be prepared to face the law.^[14]

Illegal mining has short-and long-term detrimental impacts on human health. Exposure to poisonous chemicals can lead to various cancers, mercury poisoning, silica-induced pneumoconiosis, and other respiratory conditions. In addition, stagnant water in abandoned mining pits serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which can be vectors for various diseases.^[15]

On 21 September 2024, a local organization called Democracy Hub launched a protest aimed at pressuring the government of Ghana to enforce measures to stop galamsey.^[16] The action lasted three days, with protesters demanding a direct and decisive intervention from President Nana Akufo-Addo, in the form of a presidential order to stop all illegal mining activities, particularly in forest reserves and along key rivers,^[17] such as the Pra, Ankobra, and Birim, which have all been polluted with harmful chemicals like mercury and cyanide.^[18] As of September 2024, 60% of Ghana's water bodies had suffered pollution due to galamsey.^[19] The illegal practice has also led to forest degradation,^[20] encouraged by the passage of Legislative Instrument L.I 2462 in 2022, which permitted mining in forest reserves.^[21]

The protests led to a total of 53 arrests,^[22] including a 62-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl.^[23][24]

• Operation Vanguard – military police joint task force against illegal mining in Ghana
• Crime in Ghana

• "Mining in Ghana – Golden future for the galamsey", World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Archived from the original.
• Galamsey – For a Fistful of Gold (short film, 2017)
• The Money Stone (documentary film, 2019)