Prof. Alfred Oteng-Yeboah writes on assessing and countering the galamsey menace

State of some River bodies in Ghana
Gold mining and the use of gold in Ghana has a long history. There is even speculation that the gold that King Solomon procured from the province of Ophir in the Bible (1 Kings 10L 11;22 and 2 Chronicles 8: 18 and 9: 10-21) was from sites in present-day Ghana (Peters, 2013).

The fact that haphazard manner of mining gold in the last 40 years has resulted in the emergence of the term Galamsey with a peculiar culture of destruction in the pursuit of the search for gold and we have had to witness and continue to receive grave news of degradation of our once cherished forests, including those gazetted as Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs), and the continuous pollution of important water sources such as the Ankobra, Ayensu, Bia, Birim, Densu, Offin, Oti, Pra and the White Volta rivers, calls for serious introspection as a nation.

Ghana’s environment is in crises and this is posing an existential threat to all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which Ghana has committed to implement and to account for by 2030.

If we focus our lenses on examining the cost implications of removing this existential threat, which are enormous and involve loss of human lives, loss of livelihoods, and destruction of ecosystem services, including nature’s contribution to people, we may conclude that it is not worth engaging in surface mining. When one examines the income from mining in Ghana and the costs related to repairing the destructions of the environment and removal of its attendant pollution, one can question the rationale for even promoting the Community Mining schemes under the present conditions..

The costs involved in bioremediation and rehabilitation are huge, running into thousands of millions of US Dollars (Oteng-Yeboah 2024). A quick cost-benefit assessment immediately sends a red alert. The costs of restoration, health implications on people, and loss of revenue from agricultural and fishery products, far outweigh the revenue that gold production gives to the country.

Considering the scenarios on benefits that mining activities, in general including legal and illegal aspects, give to the country against the cost of repairs to the damage including bioremediation and restoration, there is the need to soberly reflect on how to counter the Galamsey menace. In my view, mining can be beneficial if the necessary checks and balances are in place. Unfortunately, these are not in place.

If these are not in place, it is better to halt mining and concentrate on revenue generation from elsewhere. It is important that every Ghanaian sees the continued presence of illegality in the mining sector as a hindrance to national safety and development and that the practice should be discouraged through properly concerted, designed, and nationally adopted strategies and actions.

I propose the following as countermeasures. In this proposal, I am invoking political economy principles to consider everyone residing in Ghana as a stakeholder to make contributions. The list of the stakeholders includes all Political Parties, all organs of government (the Executive, the Judiciary, Legislature), the MDAs (Ministries, Departments and Agencies), MMDAs (Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies), the Armed Forces (Air Force, Army, Navy, Police, Prisons, Immigration, Fire Service), Religious Bodies, Traditional Authorities, Civil and Public Service Institutions, Academic and Research Institutions, Civil Society Groups, Communities, the miners, registration and licensing, the Business community, the Bank of Ghana, etc. considering the roles that these groups play in our society, the expectations are that they will all declare their disgust at the destruction of the nation’s life support systems and the existential threat posed to our environmental security.

Foremost for me is that:

All Political Parties will firmly declare their stand on and abhorrence of galamsey
The Executive through the Presidency to commit to policies that prioritize through enforcement and strict implementation of international agreements relating to the environment within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Africa Agenda 2063, the ECOWAS protocols and the multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).
The Judiciary will strictly uphold the laws governing our environment and enhance compliance at all levels, as enshrined in the constitution.

The Legislature through Parliament will adopt a bipartisan approach to matters relating to Galamsey; enact laws that enforce the 3 pillars of SDGs giving special priority to the environment; and especially be abreast of strategies and PoWs of the MEAs to address the 3 global environmental challenges/crises with repercussions at national levels (Biodiversity, Climate and Desertification); review all mining laws and revoke all LIs that run contrary to environmental concerns, especially LI 2462; invoke the polluter pays principle
MDAs will implement the objectives and articles of UN Conventions that Ghana is a Party, especially the Minamata Convention on Mercury and enforce the ban on use of mercury and other hazardous chemicals in mining; enforce strict adherence to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) requirement on every mining activity before a license is issued. Ministries of Lands and Natural Resources, Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Food and Agriculture must share knowledge on sites not eligible for mining, especially riparian, wetlands, forest reserves, and agricultural lands; Place a ban on all surface mining in such areas including sacred sites for cemeteries and archaeological studies. Regulatory and inspection institutions must be equipped to use modern methods including drones and reconnaissance survey systems (GPS), to track the sanctity of the Ghanaian mineral hotspots.

MMDAs, being the centre of local governance, will enhance the coordination of the assemblies in their plans, programmes, and projects along the dictates of the MDAs with priority on the environment
Armed Forces, in ensuring the safety and security of the citizenry from the danger of ailment, famine, starvation, armed conflicts, etc. will pursue the rule of law and order and provide a buffer for the regulatory bodies for environmental compliance.
Religious Bodies, being the embodiment of the spiritual well-being of the people, will enhance the moral and ethical teachings of the care of creation including human life. Fundamental issues of loving one’s neighbour must be invoked. They should be seen to be working with the National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) and other agencies working with communities, for proper procedures in communication, education, and public awareness, on the destruction of the environment through Galamsey.

Traditional Authorities, being the embodiment of the cultural aspirations, respect, and authority of the people, will show clear leadership, be properly resourced, appropriately accredited, and effectively and scientifically briefed on the environment, they can be the much needed force at the community level, and work in tandem with the religious leaders and other social agencies.
Civil and Public Service Institutions whose personnel are frontline, should take on and or carry out their decisions primarily in the national interest and firmly observe and uphold the rule of law and priority to the environment.

Academic and Research Institutions make their training, and knowledge on bioremediation and restoration available. The MDAs must seek and collaborate with the scientists (chemical, biological, mining engineering, physical, and social) for this exercise. The University of Mines at Tarkwa (UMaT) and other academic and research institutions are already armed with plans to support this national need. They must be challenged.

Communities who live near the natural resources and are the first to bear the brunt of any ecological disasters such as being experienced currently in the country, must be the watchdogs. The demography [n the communities is varied but structured including babies, children, teens, and adults. The children and teens are in school, the adults may be parents, farmers, or teachers. Some may be educated or uneducated, others may be gainfully employed or unemployed. All of these people impact or are impacted by the environment. Their sensitization of the Galamsey menace should ginger them to stand against the illegal activity. Use concerts, dramas, soap operas, cantatas, song competitions, and other social activities during community festivals to educate the public. Establish a whistle-blowing gang/ corps or spies within the communities and especially among the Community Resource Management Associations (CREMAs) teams to alert the traditional and/or regulatory authorities about illegal mining activities.
Civil Society Organizations are the country’s watchdog. The roles played by them in communicating, educating, and raising public awareness on issues of the environment, must continue unabated.

Community Mining schemes is a fine policy objective. However, there is a need to provide a comprehensive categorization of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners GNASSM) and Community Mining Scheme (CMS) in Ghana as mutually exclusive (separated) or inclusive (linked) to increase transparency. By the Community Mining Scheme, GNASSM ceases to be small-scale when the scheme is operated under the Large Scale Mining Leases in line with the Tributer System, whatever that means. This can be troubling, and help is required to remove the deception. The functions of the CMS must follow the conditions of depositing reclamation bonds and be responsible for removing all wastes from mining activities without affecting the integrity of the ecosystem. EPA should be formally commissioned to work with GNASSM/ CMS to minimize the risk associated with mercury use in conjunction with the UNEP, UNIDO, and UNDP-inspired PlanetGOLD techniques. Appendix III of the Community Mining Scheme document on mining in riparian Buffer Zone policy is untenable and must be expunged. Riparian buffer zones are water catchment areas that need to be preserved.

Mining registration and licensing must be overhauled. The licensing processing, and approvals procedure must start with the community. The top-down approach/ arrangement starting with ministers and government officials before the community is approached must change. The mining licenses in the pipeline should be canceled. No new mining registration and licensing should be undertaken.
Identify all miners, both active and potential, and provide proper environmental education to them, indicating their compliance with mining regulations including their responsibilities for proper management of mined areas.

Business Community decision to invest in mining should be welcomed and made sign an undertaking that all the laws, the rules and the protocols governing mining have been examined and understood as a preserve for Ghanaians. This is lawful since this a preserve for Ghanaians at the small-scale level. However, there must be legal action including punishment for infractions such as fronting for other foreign interested parties and destruction of water bodies.
The Bank of Ghana should note that with so much gold mined and exported from Ghana, there could be a certified gold refinery in Ghana accredited to and recognized by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). This effort will enable Ghana to enter into ‘the good delivery list’ of about 65 gold refineries worldwide that have been proven to source gold legally. its certification allows gold bars to be sold directly to any precious metals exchange or financial institution worldwide. In Africa, only South Africa is accredited to issue it. If BoG succeeds in this, it will boost the value of the Ghanaian cedi. The minting of the gold medal is a good start.
Conclusion:

Many are the desires of man but it takes the will of God to make them happen. It is hoped that a reasonable attempt has been made and that a large body of citizens will be ready to act, in this disconcerting moment.

References

Oteng-Yeboah, A.A. (2024), Galamsey: unveiling the hidden cost, providing sustainable solutions for preventing environmental degradation and safeguarding Ghana’s future. 2ndACFE Fraud Conference, ghana. 6-7 November 2024, Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).

Peters, W. (2013) History of Gold Mining in Ghana. Edited and published by Andreas Peters, 122 pp, pages 4-6.

Source: Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Department of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana, Legon