(Ecofin Agency) – Supporting 4.5 million people in Ghana, illegal gold mining is however denounced for its impact on waterways and agricultural plantations. The subject resurfaces with insistence in the country, as Africa’s leading gold producer prepares to elect its next president.
In Ghana, hundreds of people marched in the capital Accra on Friday to denounce illegal gold mining, known in the country as “galamsey”. This peaceful demonstration takes place in the middle of the electoral campaign, putting the government of Nana Akufo-Addo under pressure in the face of political adversaries supporting the protest.
The presidential election in Ghana is scheduled for December 7. Having reached the end of his two constitutional mandates, President Akufo-Addo and his party have decided to present the candidacy of the current vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia for the supreme office. It is therefore the latter who must defend the record of the current government in the fight against illegal gold miners, accused by the population of polluting waterways and destroying cocoa plantations as well as forests.
Demanding that the government ban illegal gold mining, Ghanaian workers’ unions announced a strike last week, before calling it off at the last minute after an agreement with the authorities. According to union representatives, President Nana Akufo-Addo has pledged to revoke a law that allows some mines to operate in forest reserves.
In a press release published on October 9, the government reaffirmed that “ rivers and forest reserves remain red zones“. The authorities also plan to intensify an operation carried out for several years by the Ghanaian armed forces in order to put an end to mining activities on the country’s waterways. This new phase will be carried out with the Association of Small Miners of Ghana, the press release specifies.
A “hypocritical” opposition?
As calls for a crackdown on galamsey gain momentum in Ghana, former President John Dramani Mahama has also stepped up to the plate. Main opponent of the ruling party and also a candidate, he presented the 1is last October his roadmap to rid the country of illegal mining and its consequences, if he is elected. For Mr. Mahama, this will involve carrying out an audit of the country’s mining concessions, in order to identify their owners and hold them responsible for the illegal mining activities taking place there.
The former president also plans to ban the granting of new mining concessions in forest reserves and to toughen the sanctions against offenders. His potential government would also introduce an initiative called “Tree for Life and Blue Water” aimed at restoring polluted water bodies and degraded land.
« We will require small-scale miners to train in modern and responsible methods and land reclamation techniques in their operations to minimize damage to the environment», added Mr. Mahama, relayed by the local dailyDaily Graphic.
Beyond the uncertainty linked to the effectiveness of these measures, some of which are also in place under the current administration, voices are being raised to criticize the opposition’s actions. For the civil society organization Institute for Progressive Governance (IPG), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the party of former President Mahama, demonstrates “of hypocrisy» on the question.
« While the government may not have done everything necessary to eradicate galamsey, we must also blame the flag bearer of the opposition NDC party, John Mahama, for contributing to the mess we have today. ‘today. His statements in the run-up to the 2020 elections encouraged illegal mining activities», Indicates the IPG.
Already a candidate in the presidential election in 2020, Mr. Mahama had indeed promised that he would grant amnesty to illegal miners imprisoned under the presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo. For the IPG, initiatives aimed at putting an end to galamsey must transcend partisan interests and follow a collective approach.
While we wait to see the impact that the outcome of the December presidential election will have on the sector, note that illegal mining provides livelihoods to approximately 4.5 million people in Ghana and employs approximately 1 million.
While the authorities estimate that the production from this activity does not enter the formal circuit, note that small official mining operations delivered 1.2 million ounces of gold for the first seven months of 2024, after the mining regulator. Over the entire year 2023, these small operations delivered 1.1 million ounces out of a total gold production estimated at 4 million ounces.
Emiliano Tossou
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02/28/2022 – Ghana’s strategy to address the problem of illegal artisanal mining
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