By Ghana is teetering on the brink of becoming a “failing state” due to the unchecked rise of illegal small-scale gold mining, commonly known as galamsey, according to Senyo Hosi, Convener of the One Ghana Movement. Speaking on TV3’s The Key Points on Saturday, April 19, Hosi described the galamsey crisis as not just an environmental disaster but a profound national security threat that demands immediate and ruthless action.
“It is a national security issue. Are we really safe as a country when foreign nationals can create their own communities—totally unmapped? It’s very scary,” Hosi stated, pointing to the alarming infiltration of foreign nationals from countries like Nigeria, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, who have established fully functional hubs in mining enclaves. “Galamsey must be dealt with very ruthlessly because you have armed galamseyers shooting at security officers. We are a failing state, and the president must take this matter, hold the bull by the horns, and not fail us.”
Hosi’s remarks come in the wake of a recent operation by a joint team from the Forestry Commission in the Western Region and the Ghana Armed Forces, which raided Abrewa Ninkrane, a notorious galamsey hotspot in the Subri Forest Reserve, on April 15.
The dawn raid targeted makeshift camps housing thousands of illegal miners, many of whom are foreign nationals. The task force set ablaze several shelters, wooden brothels, and business centers that had sprung up in the reserve, a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area near Benso.
Nana Kwabena Bosompim, the Western Regional Forestry Manager, revealed the scale of the operation, estimating that over 10,000 miners were present at the site—far too many to arrest with the team’s limited resources. “We just had to raid the community, burn down the equipment, and make sure everybody is flushed out,” Bosompim said in an interview following the operation. He added that the task force would remain in the area for two weeks to prevent miners from returning. “I sent a warning to all the miners to get out of this community, forest reserves, and water bodies. If you want to mine, do that legally, and we will have no issues with you.”
The environmental toll of galamsey is staggering. The Forestry Commission reports that illegal mining has destroyed over 10,000 hectares of forest land in key biodiversity hotspots, including the Subri Forest Reserve, which has lost hundreds of hectares of vegetation cover. Major rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra, Oti, Offin, and Birim have been contaminated with toxic chemicals like mercury, used to separate gold from ore.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana estimates that 60% of water bodies in mining regions are now polluted, posing a severe threat to public health. The Ghana Water Company Limited has warned that the country could face severe water scarcity by 2030 if galamsey continues unabated, potentially forcing Ghana to import water—a dire prospect for a nation once rich in natural resources.
The health consequences are equally alarming. Research links water pollution from galamsey to chronic diseases such as kidney failure, birth defects, and cancer, particularly in mining communities. Mercury poisoning, a direct result of the mining process, has led to neurological damage and developmental issues, especially in children.
Socially, the galamsey crisis has fueled disturbing trends, including a rise in prostitution in mining areas. Bosompim noted during the raid that young girls are abandoning education to engage in the sex trade, lured by the promise of quick money in galamsey hubs. “That is very bad,” he lamented.
Efforts to curb galamsey have been ongoing for years but have largely failed to stem the tide. When President Nana Akufo-Addo took office in 2017, he vowed to put his presidency on the line to fight illegal mining, establishing the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining. However, the problem has only escalated, with influential figures, including politicians and party financiers, often implicated but rarely prosecuted. The use of heavy equipment like excavators and bulldozers has intensified the destruction, decimating forests, farmlands, and cocoa plantations—a critical sector of Ghana’s economy.
Hosi’s call for a ruthless crackdown echoes a growing sentiment among Ghanaians that the galamsey crisis requires a multifaceted approach, addressing not only environmental degradation but also the social, health, and security ramifications. The presence of armed miners and foreign communities operating outside the law underscores the urgency of the situation. As Hosi warned, “Ghanaians should be very concerned about what is going on.”
The raid on Abrewa Ninkrane may be a step in the right direction, but it also highlights the scale of the challenge. With thousands of miners scattered across Ghana’s forest reserves and water bodies, the government faces an uphill battle to restore order and protect the nation’s natural resources. For now, the Subri Forest Reserve remains a battleground—not just for environmental preservation, but for the very future of Ghana as a sovereign state.
