Beyond Drones and Cooperatives: The false promise of technocratic answers to galamsey

Introduction

The ongoing struggle against galamsey—illegal small-scale mining—in Ghana has exposed a critical flaw in technocratic solutions. President Akufo-Addo’s administration, led by Vice President Bawumia, has proposed infrastructure-heavy strategies like drone surveillance, centralized mining licenses, and cooperative formalization programs. While these measures sound innovative, they neglect the deeper socio-cultural roots of galamsey. As Dr. Manaseh Mawufemor Mintah argues, Ghana’s real challenge lies not in enforcement gaps but in the erosion of traditional custodial systems and structural inequities. This article examines why relying on technology and cooperatives alone fails to address galamsey and proposes a return to Afrocentric governance models.

Analysis

Bawumia’s reforms, though technologically advanced, misdiagnose galamsey as a problem solvable through institutional tweaks. Let’s dissect the key components of his strategy and their shortcomings:

Decentralized Mining Licenses: A Bureaucratic Mirage?

Creating District Mining Committees to manage licenses superficially addresses centralization but ignores cultural legitimacy. The Minerals and Mining Act (2006) mandates environmental assessments and cadastral verification—requirements incompatible with “quick” licenses. Critics argue this approach could enable corruption and undermine legal clarity.

Geographical Mapping: Technology as a False Fix

Drones and satellite imaging might map mining sites, but they cannot resolve ethical dilemmas. Communities often tolerate galamsey because they see no alternative livelihoods. Mapping annotations cannot replace moral authority to deter exploitation of shared resources.

Cooperatives and Skills Training: Reinventing Colonial Exploitation?

Cooperative models, while trendy, replicate extractive economic structures. As Mintah notes, these programs often funnel resources to political elites rather than grassroots miners. Without community ownership, formalization risks deepening dependency on external capital.

The Minerals Development Bank: Fistful of Sand?

This proposed financial instrument lacks safeguards against patronage. Without strict oversight, it could become a vehicle for cronyism, mirroring historical patterns of elite capture in Ghana’s aid programs.

Summary

Bawumia’s technocratic approach to galamsey fails because it ignores:

• Cultural legitimacy of traditional authority
• Structural poverty driving illicit mining
• Colonial legacies in resource governance

His proposals replicate centralized failures by privileging technology over ethics. Effective solutions must integrate traditional custodians into governance while addressing poverty and accountability.

Key Points

Practical Advice

To move beyond technocratic traps, Ghana should:

1. Re-establish chieftaincy as a co-governance pillar through constitutional amendments
2. Grant chiefs quasi-judicial powers to enforce land taboos
3. Integrate community consent into all mining licenses
4. Redirect Minerals Development Bank funds to cooperative training
5. Launch land-rights mapping initiatives led by traditional authorities

Points of Caution

While empowering chiefs has merit,

• Avoid retrofitting European feudal models
• Balance tradition with modern human rights standards
• Ensure transparency in all community mining licenses
• Prevent politicization of cooperative programs

Comparison: Technocratic vs. Afrocentric Approaches

Legal Implications

Embedding chiefs into governance requires revising Ghana’s:

• Minerals and Mining Act (2006) to recognize customary land rights
• Constitution (via Article 89) to elevate the Council of State
• Land Rights Act (L.I. 2182) to clarify stool land boundaries

New legislation should define the scope of chief’s authority, limitation procedures, and community consent mechanisms while ensuring alignment with international environmental treaties.

Conclusion

Galamsey’s persistence reflects a crisis of cultural erosion rather than enforcement failure. While drones and cooperatives offer symbolic solutions, Ghana must return to its Afrocentric roots. Empowering chiefs as ethical stewards—coupled with poverty alleviation and land-right recognition—offers a path to sustainable mining governance that respects both law and tradition.

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