Battling Galamsey: Community efforts against illegal mining in Ghana

Illegal gold mining is growing in Ghana, one of the world's top gold producers.

A weakening economy and high unemployment have pushed thousands into illegal mining in search of elusive wealth.

But the government and environmental groups say the mining is contaminating rivers and other bodies of water.

The Ankobra River in Ghana was once a vital source of water and food.

Now it appears, grey and murky.

Fisherman Benjamin Yankey says the pollution has touched his livelihood and the area's wildlife.

Galamsey, the rampant mining that is practiced around the country, has wreaked havoc on the river, contaminating significant portions with cyanide and mercury.

One community in Ghana's Western North Region has begun to take the fight against galamsey—local shorthand for the English "gather and sell"—into their own hands.

A new task force of Jema residents now patrols their forested region to detect illegal activity.

Jema, a community of about 15,000, banned all mining on its land starting in 2015, empowered by a law that grants local chiefs powers to make and enforce customary law.

The task force, made up of 14 members, was founded in part with help from local Catholic priest Joseph Kwame Blay.

He says that through raising awareness, Jema has built a reputation for its crackdown on galamsey.

"Jema people have seen this as a legacy," he says. "That is our slogan now – Jema, no galamsey."

The Jema Anti-Galamsey Advocacy (JAGA) task force patrols local waterways in the Jema Forest Reserve, looking for signs of upstream mining activity, like water discoloration and forest clearings.

Suspects are apprehended and turned over to police in accordance with laws allowing citizen arrests.

JAGA president Patrick Fome says the work has not been easy.

People are threatening our lives because they think we are not helping them. We are depriving them of their own work – that's what they all rely upon – so they see us as enemies," he explains.

The group claims success, pointing to the relatively clean waterways in their 450-square-kilometer (173-square-mile) area.

But not all residents support the vigilante approach.

Some view illegal mining as one of the few viable economic options amid skyrocketing unemployment and declining agricultural profits.

Nearly 39% of youth are out of work, leading many to seek quick income from panning for gold.

As of January 2024, illegal miners were present in 44 of the country's 288 forest reserves, according to data from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

And Ghana has lost more than $11 billion to gold smuggling over the past five years, according to a recent report by the Swissaid nonprofit.

Local leaders acknowledge that declining farming income and limited job opportunities could create divisions and weaken community enforcement of the mining ban.

They have called for investment in other work to make illegal mining less attractive.

A year ago, Ghana saw nationwide protests against illegal mining, with thousands taking to the streets to demand a government crackdown.

President John Mahama, who took office in January, has inaugurated a national task force to combat the practice.

But he has rejected calls for a state of emergency, which would grant the police and military greater powers to tackle the issue, saying his government has not exhausted all other approaches.