Galamsey: A defining issue for Ghana's future

Introduction

Artisanal mining, popularly known as galamsey, is an unstructured and illegal small-scale mining that continues to wreak havoc on Ghana’s environment, especially in the form of contamination and degradation of river bodies such as the Ankobra, Birim, Offin, and Pra. Galamsey has also been blamed for the extensive damage to Ghanaian arable lands. Driven presumably by short-term financial gain, these practices are endangering not just the livelihoods of current generations but also the future of the nation by causing entire communities to teeter on collapse.

The irreversible damage to the environment, including the pollution of critical water sources, raises serious concerns about the health and well-being of future generations. A cursory look at the impact of illegal mining on water resources, sadly indicates that fresh water from the Pra, Ankobra, Birim Rivers and other water bodies that served the needs of communities along these stretches of the river have been extremely polluted that these local communities can no longer rely on them. Seeing this destruction at a period when world societies are striving to fight climate change and enhance environmental circumstances is frightening.

The belief that traditional spirits serve as custodians of justice in numerous Ghanaian communities has resulted in frustration regarding their perceived "inactivity" in addressing the crisis. Nevertheless, the government, traditional authorities, and community leaders are the ones who have caused the most disappointment. Incompetence or apathy may explain the absence of sustainable solutions to the galamsey menace.

It has been said that the government’s failure to effectively deal with galamsey is due to improper planning and poor stakeholder engagement. Also, political and financial interests, personal connections to illegal mining, or the fear of losing local support may be at the root of this inaction, leaving the nation at the mercy of unchecked environmental destruction. This paper explores the ethical dimensions of the galamsey crisis, critically examining the responsibilities of government, traditional leadership, and individual actors. Drawing on a theory rooted in Ghanaian communal values, it argues for the urgent need to make galamsey a central issue in the upcoming elections. As the future of Ghana depends on curbing this menace, it is imperative that Ghanaians, especially young adults, demand accountability and real solutions to safeguard the environment for future generations.

Galamsey Destroys the ‘Commons’

Galamsey has not only devastated individual livelihoods but has also violated what is known in ethical and political theory as ‘the commons’—resources like rivers, air, and land shared by all and essential for the survival of entire communities. In Ghana, these commons, particularly river bodies such as the Ankobra, Pra, Offin, and Birim have suffered severe degradation due to the toxic chemicals, primarily mercury and cyanide, used in illegal mining operations. Apart from poisoning or eroding the topsoil of these farmlands, galamsey activities have rendered bodies of water previously used for drinking and fishing useless. For example, mercury poisoning has been linked to some medical conditions, including diarrhea, fever, flu, eczema, malaria, and Buruli ulcer, prevalent in mining areas.

The result is that Ghana is being pushed oppositely by galamsey, even while countries worldwide are making efforts to decrease carbon emissions, protect biodiversity, and promote renewable energy. It is no surprise when some consider Ghana a prime example of a country with a ‘resource curse.’ Ghana's natural scenery and contributions to the global fight for environmental justice are being eroded, calling into doubt Ghana's credibility as an environmental leader on an international scale.The pictorial contrast between the once non-toxic water bodies like the Ankobra, Pra, Offin, and Birim and their current polluted state offers a stark reminder of the environmental damage caused by galamsey. Any keen observer would notice how these water bodies have changed from clear, life-giving streams to their current discolored, toxic states. As if that is not enough, Ghana’s EPA reveals how galamsey activities cause soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and severe deforestation. Again, the EPA notes that illegal mining has significantly reduced Ghana’s agricultural productivity. Wondering how bad it could get, galamsey activities are connected to the increased incidence of respiratory diseases, skin infections, and other health conditions directly linked to environmental pollution. Not only are the commons under destruction for the current generation but also for the next ones. Galamsey is effectively denying future Ghanaians of their right to clean water, good soil, and a sustainable ecosystem, hence the fight against it is a national and ethical imperative.

The Accountability Question

The environmental harm brought forth by galamsey operations calls for our shared perspective on social responsibility. Among the several players are miners, traditional leaders, and government officials. Although every group bears some responsibility for allowing or perpetuating this social and environmental damage, often lacking are measures of accountability. Knowing who should be accountable and the reasons for responsible actions is the first step toward reversing the galamsey-induced environmental destruction.

Government and Political Leadership

The galamsey dilemma stems mostly from the government's neglect of its moral obligation to protect the commons and the welfare of its people. The government, equipped with the apparatus of the state—law enforcement, regulatory bodies, and judicial authority—has the primary responsibility to enforce environmental laws to stop illegal mining. Despite government policy enforcement through joint efforts, like “Operation Halt,” of the police and military, leading to the seizure of galamsey machinations and equipment and sometimes ban and deportation of offending foreign nationals, Ghana fails to protect her environment against the galamsey menace.

The continuous galamsey-induced environmental and climate damage in some Ghanaian villages points to a government failure either resulting from willful unwillingness to solve the problem or from incompetence. Usually, government incompetence, extreme corruption, and a crumbling court system explain why efforts at reducing the galamsey threat have been useless.More alarming, though, is the likelihood of inaction motivated by political gains. Some municipal officials, for example, might view galamsey as a means of revenue and employment for their citizens, so they would be reluctant to restrict these activities in order to save political support.

Others who directly or indirectly profit from these illicit activities further reduce the political will to handle the threat by means of backdoor transactions.This kind of carelessness not only shows a poor government but also a strong ethical lapse. The government is meant to serve as the protector of the people and the nation’s resources, ensuring that development is sustainable and benefits both present and future generations. The current inactivity or half-hearted attempts to combat galamsey undermine this duty and violate the social contract between the government and its citizens. Allowing illicit mining to proceed unrestrained while profiting politically or financially at the expense of the environment and public health is a betrayal, especially to underprivileged populations whose livelihoods depend on these natural resources.

Traditional and Community Leadership

Chiefs, local authorities, and even supernatural entities like river gods are considered the stewards of the land and its riches in traditional Ghanaian society. However, the galamsey problem has revealed a notable loss of this moral power. The public anger at chiefs is typical of a more general discontent with conventional leadership. Though many have turned a blind eye, traditional authorities have the power and proximity to the miners to stop galamsey from spreading. Sometimes chiefs and local authorities have even been discovered to engage in or profit from illicit mining, therefore negating their moral obligations. As leaders are supposed to defend the cultural and spiritual norms that give communal well-being top priority over personal benefit, this abandonment of responsibility betrays the confidence that communities place in their leaders. Furthermore, the seeming participation or tacit acceptance of traditional authorities in galamsey events reflects an ethical compromise. They have turned from defenders of the territory into accomplices of its devastation. This collapse compromises not just the moral fiber of conventional government but also the respect and power these leaders carry in their own communities.

Corporate and Individual Greed

At the personal level, the ethical lapse covers people who personally participate in illicit mining. Galamsey operators, often motivated by economic hardship, face a difficult ethical dilemma: survival in the short term versus long-term environmental sustainability. Although poverty might motivate many to participate in galamsey activities, it is impossible to completely justify intentional environmental devastations at the risk of the future of society. Corporate players, especially multinational companies, engaged in unlawful mining activities complicate this ethical terrain. With no regard for the environment or the welfare of locals, they plunder the land's wealth.

Different layers of society—government, traditional leaders, and individual actors—share ethical obligation to solve the galamsey threat. But the general inactivity of those in charge combined with the cooperation of some corporate and traditional players has resulted in a crisis of responsibility in properly handling the galamsey menace. This situation will keep getting worse without a collective moral awakening, therefore jeopardizing the environment and the future of Ghanaian young people. Now is the time to act; all those involved have roles in reducing this threat before it turns irreversible.

Ethical Framework for Addressing

Dealing with the galamsey threat calls for a thorough awareness of the sociopolitical and environmental challenges as well as a close interaction with the ethical frameworks that appeal to Ghanaian society. A communitarian ethical framework emphasizes collective well-being, interconnectedness, and the moral obligation to future generations with a robust foundation for critiquing the ongoing destruction caused by illegal mining. The philosophical underpinning of communitarian ethics is the idea that people are so entwined with their communities that interpersonal relationships in the community shape people's “social identities” and general well-being. The collective interest is the key factor that shapes conceptions of the good and informs the moral choices and judgments individuals make in the community.

Communitarian ethics enjoins a strong obligation to commit to societal flourishing as such nourishments lead to the general benefits of all individuals in the community. Without this, every community member will become disoriented and lonely, and fail miserably at positive moral judgments. Communitarian ethics holds that only actions that positively contribute to community building are meaningful. Such actions are necessary for moving the community towards responsible stewardship of the environment. The communitarian ethical framework highlights a moral setup dependent on committed individuals who make moral choices to continuously safeguard the ‘common good.’

Communitarian ethics offers powerful moral arguments against galamsey and appeals to the cultural and philosophical values embedded in Ghana’s identity. Ghanaian cultural setting is strongly anchored in communal interests over individual ones, which underlines communitarian ethics. This ethical perspective contends that people are morally obligated to act in ways that help the greater Ghanaian society and that the welfare of the society should come first over personal benefit. Galamsey activities are against communitarian values since they give quick personal or financial benefit at the price of the environment and the welfare of whole communities. Galamsey operators and their allies are weakening the fundamental fabric of the society they live in by destroying farms, contaminating water supplies, and compromising public health. These acts have effects not just now but also for the next generations, whose right to a sustainable environment is in danger.

From a communitarian standpoint, persons engaged in galamsey are not only breaking environmental rules but also a basic moral commitment to their respective communities. This ethical view advocates a return to communal responsibility whereby citizens and leaders cooperate to safeguard common resources and give the long-term welfare of the society priority. Understanding galamsey from the communitarian ethical lens helps us to comprehend the moral urgency of tackling this problem as a great ethical duty rather than only as a matter of law or politics.

The time has come for all stakeholders—government, traditional leaders, community members, and individuals—to revive and embrace sound ethical principles and work together to end the destruction of Ghana’s natural resources, ensuring a future that honors both the land and its people.

A Call for Accountability and Action

The galamsey menace must become a central focus of political discourse in this election. It is impossible to ignore the great negative effects of unlawful mining on public health, the environment, and national progress. Politicians, citizens, and voters have to understand that the stakes are great and that inaction will leave an irrevocable legacy for the next generations of Ghanaians. Some stakeholders worry that in 2030 Ghana will be importing drinking water. Politicians and political parties have to answer for their part, or lack, in either ignoring or prolonging the problem. The future government has to provide a coherent, doable strategy to cut illicit mining, enforce environmental rules more rigorously, and offer sustainable economic substitutes to mining-dependent towns. Given their considerable share of the Ghanaian vote, young people should especially be worried about the matter.

They will bear the results of today's choices. They must ensure the environment is preserved and that unsustainable behaviors like galamsey do not compromise the economy. Young people have to demand measures that protect their future, hence political candidates should be assessed according to their will to combat galamsey. Galamsey's influence goes beyond only environmental harm as well. It encourages lawlessness since some mining areas develop criminal activities and violence.

This compromises rule of law and national security. Ignoring this threat runs the possibility of further destabilizing the country and compromising its institutions. Voters thus have to give politicians who offer reasonable answers to the galamsey top priority, especially those ready to make investments in improving law enforcement and strict anti-corruption policies.

Towards Environmental Solutions

Policies aimed at addressing the galamsey threat at its source would be a better choice than those paying lip services to help solve this national disaster. Many people turn to illicit mining because of financial difficulty. Just outlawing galamsey without providing alternative means of income will merely cause miners to become more impoverished or force the activity underground.

Political candidates thus have to show thorough proposals including employment in sectors such as agriculture, eco-tourism, and renewable energy. Programs for technical education and skill development can also provide individuals with the tools and knowledge needed to move from illicit mining to environmentally friendly businesses. Projects for environmental restoration should also be given top priority, stressing reforestation, water filtration, and soil regeneration to help the rivers and land devastated by galamsey to be rebuilt.

Conclusion

This topic has to take front stage in the next elections since the widespread effects of galamsey compromises Ghana's environment and future development. Voters have to demand from political leaders responsibility, openness, and durable solutions to guarantee that those who neglected to handle the threat pay for it. This is not only a political matter for young people and the general voters; it is a moral and ethical dilemma that will define the legacy left for the next generations. The battle against galamsey has to take the front stage in this election year since Ghana's future depends on it.