Gold has always attracted people to Ghana, a major producer of the precious metal in West Africa. The country has a long history of dealing with the harm caused by illegal mining, called “galamsey”. This practice has ruined forests, polluted rivers with dirt and mercury, and damaged topsoil. The image of illegal mining is usually tied to remote, deforested areas and dirty water.

Now, a more dangerous trend is emerging. Galamsey isn’t staying only in remote areas. Recent events show it is rapidly moving into areas vital for national growth, directly threatening the infrastructure that supports Ghana’s economy and society. This change points to a growing crisis where the quick money from illegal gold is actively tearing down the nation’s ability to develop long-term.

On October 7, twelve people were accused of destroying sections of the Tarkwa–Takoradi railway line through galamsey activities and were remanded into prison custody by the Tarkwa Circuit Court. According to Adom News’ correspondent, Lord Tawiah, the suspects were charged with engaging in illegal mining and causing damage to public property. This is just one example of many instances.

Local communities, who already deal with galamsey’s environmental problems, now face immediate problems with mobility, energy, and water. This is because miners work in high-risk zones that were meant to be protected. Infrastructure destruction causes high repair costs and leads to service interruptions that make daily life harder for normal Ghanaians.

The Financial Cost and Governance Problems

Figuring out the true financial damage from this destructive practice is hard but necessary. What is the total economic cost of infrastructure damage attributable to illegal mining in Ghana? While exact national numbers are unknown, the costs go far beyond the direct bill for repairs. These costs include the direct expense of replacing railway parts and rebuilding damaged roads and water channels. When the Ghana Railway Company stops freight, it loses revenue, which hurts the company’s finances.

The direct financial impact on the Ghana Railway Company alone is staggering. When galamsey activities halt operations on the Western Rail Line (Tarkwa-Takoradi), a key artery for mineral and cocoa transportation, the company loses an estimated amount of GHS 500,000 to GHS 1,000,000, which is approximately 40,000 to 80,000 dollars in revenue for every week of disruption.

4,726 hectares of land (more than the size of cities like Athens and Brussels) have been destroyed in seven of the country’s 16 regions, and 34 of its 288 forest reserves.

The illegal mining has also affected cocoa production, with the Ghana Cocoa Board saying in 2021 that more than 19,000 hectares of farmland had been destroyed in key cocoa-growing areas like the Western and Ashanti regions.

The financial damage is made worse by significant governance gaps. Weak enforcement, corruption, and policy limitations allow mining near protected assets. While government groups like the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and security agencies are supposed to enforce rules, the large-scale and scattered nature of galamsey makes constant policing difficult. There are many accusations of corruption and collusion, suggesting some miners operate freely, often with the help of local officials who let them work near protected zones.

An anonymous farmer told the BBC that the military indeed made arrests, but only in poor communities. “It’s just a symbolic gesture of appearing to maintain law and order. The people making big money out of it are in offices, not on the field,” she said.

When Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo took office in 2017, he vowed to stop galamsey; however, his critics say that he has failed to fulfil his promise, and now, at the end of his second term tenure, the problem has deteriorated since then.

Factoring in Technology

The large-scale nature of galamsey demands more than just traditional policing. Ghana’s government, through various security and land-use agencies, has begun to explore advanced technology to improve monitoring and enforcement effectiveness.

High-resolution satellite imagery is increasingly used to establish baseline land use and track changes in near real-time. This allows authorities to map the precise coordinates of illegal mining sites and compare them against legally designated no-go areas around important infrastructure such as pipelines, transmission lines, and water treatment plants.

For localised monitoring, drone surveillance is used to provide a cost-effective and safer way to conduct aerial surveillance over suspected galamsey areas. These drones capture video and photographic evidence without the risk associated with ground patrols.

Environmental Damage Speeds Up Decay

Galamsey often removes large amounts of topsoil, which makes it easier for soil erosion to happen. This eroded soil then washes away, causing sedimentation in water bodies and drainage systems. Removing plants and topsoil directly weakens the foundation of roads and railway lines. Bridges and drainage pipes become weak when the banks supporting them are mined. Additionally, too much sediment clogs water supply systems, causing disruptions. River pollution, already a problem, now affects important water delivery infrastructure, as dirt and chemical runoff can contaminate sources and harm the machinery in water treatment plants. 

Communities Suffer the Consequences

For average citizens, the results of this uncontrolled destruction are immediate and personal. For communities that depended on the rail lines for cheap movement of goods and people, the disruptions have caused a mobility crisis. Farmers struggle to move their produce, and local traders are cut off from main markets.

 As mining pollutes water sources and damages supply pipes, getting clean and dependable water becomes a daily struggle. Reports of illegal miners working near power transmission lines have raised fears of widespread energy disruptions, threatening the nation’s power grid. These problems do more than just inconvenience people; they actively hurt the quality of life, economic activity, and stability of the affected populations.

Elizabeth, a food seller who relies on the now polluted Ankobra River for clean water, told BBC News Africa that her food business is suffering because of the lack of clean water near her.

Residents of Axim, where the Ankobra River meets the coast, have complained about the poor quality of drinking water due to the presence of mercury and organisms in it. Now they only rely on water from wells.

Lessons from Others and the Path Forward

Ultimately, any lasting solution must deal with the basic reasons why galamsey happens. What long-term policies could integrate the economic needs of artisanal miners with infrastructure protection and sustainable development? The thousands of artisanal miners aren’t just criminals; many are driven by poverty and the high price of gold. A complete strategy must include the creation of clear, legal, and environmentally safe ways for artisanal miners to work, along with training so they don’t encroach on critical infrastructure.

Ghana can look to regional and international models for effective mitigation. In Tanzania, the government successfully implemented formalisation programs that register, regulate, and provide technical support to Artisanal and Small-scale Miners (ASM), moving them away from environmentally sensitive or critical infrastructure areas. Similarly, in other West African countries, like Sierra Leone, efforts have focused on community-led monitoring and the establishment of “buffer zones” around key national assets. These regional lessons emphasize that comprehensive solutions require both strong enforcement and inclusive economic alternatives.

Alternative livelihoods must also be encouraged; this involves investing in other economic sectors in mining communities to reduce the overwhelming reliance on gold extraction. Infrastructure-specific protection zones should require stricter, clearly marked ‘No-Go’ zones around all national infrastructure, with harsh, consistently applied penalties for breaking the rules. Lastly, community reporting and safeguarding are also ways to curb galamsey. Ghana is at a crucial moment. The uncontrolled spread of illegal mining, which has now turned its destructive focus onto the very base of the nation’s infrastructure, demands a quick and strong response.