Pan Africanist and Governance Expert Prof Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba has blamed illegal small scale mining, known as galamsey, on governance failure in Ghana. Speaking at a virtual environmental conference, the renowned legal practitioner emphasized that the time to act against the menace is now.
Prof Lumumba made these remarks at a conference organized by IGER Africa on Friday, December 5, with the theme Navigating the Challenges of Illegal Mining in Ghana: Impact on Individuals, Communities, Health and Policy. The event brought together experts to discuss the devastating environmental and health crisis facing the country.
The illegal mining practice has devastated major river bodies and forest reserves in Ghana, contaminating water sources and destroying arable lands. Communities in mining areas have experienced declining standards of living despite the presence of lucrative mining operations.
Government data shows that 1,486 people were arrested for galamsey activities between January 7 and November 30, 2025, with security agencies seizing 443 excavators and 11 bulldozers during anti mining operations. Despite these enforcement efforts, the illegal mining challenge continues to threaten Ghana’s land and water resources.
Prof Lumumba’s comments align with concerns raised by other speakers at the conference. Rev Professor Paul Frimpong Manso, former President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, described galamsey as both a moral and spiritual crisis. He argued that destroying rivers and forests for selfish gain violates the command to care for the earth.
Dr Charles Sagoe Moses, a former WHO Representative in Tanzania and Namibia, warned that Ghana faces a preventable public health disaster driven by illegal mining. Studies have found mercury contamination in some Ghanaian mining areas at levels 20 to 30 times above WHO thresholds. The health expert detailed how mercury and arsenic exposure causes memory loss, tremors, kidney failure and permanent neurological damage, particularly affecting pregnant women and children.
The galamsey crisis has intensified due to surging global gold prices, which reached close to $3,000 per gram in late 2024. This price surge has driven more people into illegal mining activities, leading to accelerated environmental destruction across gold rich regions including Ashanti, Eastern and Western areas.
Section 83 of the Minerals and Mining Act 2006 permits small scale mining only for Ghanaian citizens aged 18 or older who are registered with the Minerals Commission. However, enforcement remains weak and many operations continue outside legal requirements. Foreign involvement, particularly from Chinese migrants who introduced new mining technology and equipment, has worsened the crisis since 2008.
President John Dramani Mahama, who was inaugurated on January 7, 2025, has pledged to combat illegal mining but stopped short of reversing recently approved small scale licences. He emphasized the need to distinguish between legal small scale mining and illegal operations, suggesting that technology exists to conduct mining safely without destroying the environment.
In March 2025, the government withdrew all small scale mining licences issued after the December 7, 2024 elections and established a technical committee to review existing permits. The Environmental Protection Agency has also begun a 1,000 hectare pilot land reclamation project under a public private partnership model, aiming to eventually reclaim an estimated 30,000 hectares destroyed by galamsey.
Experts argue that solving the galamsey crisis requires more than law enforcement. Alternative livelihood programmes, including the 24 hour economy initiative, Feed Ghana, Poultry Revitalisation and the National Apprenticeship Programme, are being rolled out to create jobs and reduce young people’s dependence on illegal mining for survival.
Prof Lumumba also addressed broader mining sector governance issues during the conference, observing that many African countries do not control the agenda in their mining sectors. His Foundation has been working across 46 African countries to promote education, leadership and development since 1990.
The Pan Africanist scholar, who previously served as Director of the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission and Director of the Kenya School of Law, has delivered thousands of speeches advocating for good governance and accountability across Africa. His calls for urgent action on galamsey reflect growing consensus among experts that Ghana must take decisive steps to protect its environment and public health.
