Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has argued that Ghana’s economy is deeply tied to illegal small-scale mining (galamsey), warning that the country risks collapse if political leaders fail to muster the will to tackle it.
Galamsey, heh said, is propping up livelihoods across the country but destroying land, water bodies, and the nation’s future.
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“We are too aware of something called the galamsey economy. It supports between one million and four million people in Ghana. That’s why it persists. People sell food, water, fuel, and all kinds of services around it,” he said.
Speaking on TV3’s The Key Points on Saturday, Mr. Bentil accused politicians and local authorities of benefiting from galamsey at the expense of national interest.
“There is no political will to stop it because the people who are supposed to fix it are the ones benefiting from it. Until we see bold actions, all the noise about the state of emergency is meaningless,” he stressed.
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Mr. Bentil outlined several measures that could be taken ‘today’ if the government is serious about tackling illegal mining:
Ban on excavators: “The President can state a ban on all imports of excavators not used for construction. Ghana, a small country, has become one of the biggest importers of excavators—and most are used for destruction, not development.”
Holding DCEs accountable: “If galamsey is found in your district, you lose your job. Why is that difficult? You are the District Chief Executive. Why haven’t you been able to solve the biggest problem in your district?”
Targeting chiefs: “Chiefs are custodians of the land. If you allow galamsey on your land, that land should be nationalised. You lose it, and it reverts to the state. It doesn’t belong to you anymore.”
Declaring security zones: “Instead of shouting state of emergency, declare those places security zones. Let the military loose and let them do their work.”
The IMANI Vice President emphasized that galamsey is more than a local menace—it is an existential national crisis.
“This is killing people. It’s destroying our environment. Until people feel that stopping galamsey is more beneficial than doing it, they won’t stop. That’s why we need serious, decisive action now.”
Mr. Bentil urged the government and traditional leaders to step up immediately, insisting that only strong political will and accountability can save Ghana from the destructive grip of illegal mining.