Ghana’s recent efforts to rein in illegal gold mining collapsed under the administration of former President Nana Akufo-Addo, with only a fraction of arrests resulting in successful prosecutions, according to Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah.
Speaking Friday at a high-level stakeholder forum on illegal mining convened by President John Dramani Mahama, Buah disclosed that of 845 individuals arrested between 2023 and 2024 for engaging in “galamsey,” as illegal mining is locally known, only 35 cases—or roughly 4%—were prosecuted.
“And yet, law enforcement was weak,” Mr. Buah said, citing systemic delays in investigations and a lack of prosecutorial momentum as key obstacles to effective enforcement.
According to ministry data, 218 arrests were made in 2023, with 24 cases prosecuted. The following year saw a sharp rise in arrests—627 in total—but only 11 prosecutions.
Mr.Buah also pointed to what he described as an absence of political will and institutional resolve under the former administration. “The commitment from key stakeholders simply was not there,” he said.
The minister’s remarks signal a shift in tone under President Mahama, whose administration has pledged to take a more aggressive stance on illegal mining. Galamsey, driven by soaring global demand for gold, has devastated swathes of Ghana’s environment, polluting water bodies and threatening food security in rural communities.
The government has yet to outline specific measures to address the enforcement gap but is expected to unveil a new anti-galamsey framework later this quarter.
