Why Combating Illegal Mining Must Be a Key Efficiency Measure for Ghana’s District Chief Executives

The persistent crisis of illegal mining, widely known as galamsey, in Ghana has evolved from a local environmental concern into a national security and governance emergency. In a pivotal statement, Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), has proposed a radical yet logical solution: make the fight against galamsey a formal Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for all District Chief Executives (DCEs). This proposition, stemming from the investigative documentary “A Tax for Galamsey,” forces a critical examination of local governance, accountability, and the systemic corruption enabling environmental devastation. This article provides a comprehensive, SEO-optimized analysis of this issue, structured to inform policymakers, citizens, and stakeholders on the why, how, and what next for eradicating illegal mining in Ghana.

Key Points: The Core Argument

• Direct Accountability: DCEs must be held directly responsible for illegal mining activities within their districts, as they are the chief administrative and security officers at the local level.
• Systemic Extortion: Investigations reveal that illegal mining is not a rogue activity but a systematically taxed and protected enterprise, implicating district-level executive structures.
• Hypocrisy in High Places: There is a glaring disconnect between national anti-galamsey rhetoric and the reality of ongoing operations in constituencies represented by ministers and regional leaders.
• Motivation is Financial: The primary driver for officials’ complicity is the immediate, high-yield financial kickbacks from mining operators, which vastly outstrip lawful salaries.
• Doubt on Government Commitment: On-the-ground evidence suggests a lack of genuine political will to combat the crisis, pointing to either lost control or tacit acceptance.
• Solution Exists: A previously proposed cooperative mining scheme, designed to formalize and regulate artisanal mining, remains unimplemented and its status unclear.

Background: The Galamsey Crisis in Context

Illegal mining in Ghana, or galamsey (a portmanteau of “gather them and sell”), refers to small-scale mining operations conducted without legal permits or in violation of environmental regulations. While artisanal mining is a vital livelihood for thousands, the unregulated variant has caused catastrophic environmental degradation in Ghana, including:

• Massive deforestation and landscape destruction.
• Severe pollution of water bodies like the Pra, Ankobra, and Offin rivers with mercury and silt, affecting drinking water and agriculture.
• Land degradation leading to reduced agricultural productivity.
• Increased social issues, including child labor and community conflicts.

Successive governments have launched initiatives like Operation Vanguard and the Galamsey Inter-Agency Taskforce to combat the menace. However, the persistence of the practice points to deep-rooted systemic failures. The documentary “A Tax for Galamsey” provides shocking evidence that in areas like Amansie Central, illegal mining is not just tolerated but institutionalized through a taxation and protection racket allegedly involving the District Assembly and a taskforce under the District Chief Executive’s authority. This transforms the issue from one of law enforcement to one of profound local governance failure.

The Role of the District Chief Executive (DCE)

In Ghana’s decentralized governance system, the DCE is the president’s representative at the district level. Their core mandate includes maintaining law and order, overseeing the district security council (DISEC), and ensuring the enforcement of national laws and policies within the district. Therefore, the occurrence of major illegal activities, especially one as visible and destructive as galamsey, directly implicates the DCE’s effectiveness and integrity. Braimah’s argument is that if a DCE cannot prevent or halt a well-organized, revenue-generating illegal enterprise operating in the open within their jurisdiction, they are fundamentally failing in a primary duty.

Analysis: Unpacking the Systemic Failure

Braimah’s statement is not merely a call for scapegoating but a diagnosis of a corruption nexus in Ghana’s mining sector. The analysis reveals several interconnected layers:

The “Taxation” Racket and Official Complicity

The investigative evidence suggests a model where illegal mining operators pay regular “taxes” or bribes to a network that includes local security and assembly members. This creates a perverse incentive structure: the more illegal mining occurs, the more revenue flows to local officials. This explains the inertia in enforcement. The official taskforce, instead of shutting down operations, becomes a de facto licensing and protection agency. This institutionalized corruption means the fight against galamsey is not just about stopping miners but about dismantling a lucrative parallel economy that has co-opted local state apparatus.

The Hypocrisy of National vs. Local Action

Braimah highlights a critical hypocrisy: ministers and national leaders make strong pronouncements against galamsey in Accra, while the practice thrives in their own electoral constituencies or regions. The example of the then Lands and Natural Resources Minister’s constituency (Elembele) having active galamsey sites is telling. This indicates that the problem is not a lack of policy at the top but a lack of genuine implementation at the local level, where political connections and local power dynamics override national directives. It suggests that for some elites, galamsey is an acceptable economic activity for their constituents but a “sin” when practiced elsewhere.

The Economic Calculus of Corruption

The statement, “what he’s looking for is the money,” cuts to the heart of the issue. A uniformed officer or DCE can potentially receive a one-off bribe equivalent to years of salary from a mining operator. The risk-reward calculation for a corrupt official is severely skewed. This is not a problem of low wages alone—though fair compensation is a factor—but of impunity. The system fails to detect, prosecute, and punish this grand-scale corruption in the mining sector effectively, making it a rational choice for those inclined to corruption.

The Fate of Formalization: The Cooperative Mining Scheme

Braimah’s query about the cooperative mining scheme is crucial. This model, where artisanal miners are organized into legally registered cooperatives with access to support, training, and monitored sites, was touted as the sustainable solution. Its apparent abandonment is a missed opportunity. It reflects a policy preference for militarized, short-term taskforces over long-term, developmental solutions that address the root causes: poverty, lack of alternative livelihoods, and the complexity of formalizing a historically informal sector. The failure to implement such schemes fuels the very illegal economy the government claims to fight.

Practical Advice: Pathways to Accountability and Solution

Making galamsey a KPI for DCEs is a powerful accountability tool, but it must be part of a holistic strategy. Here is a practical framework:

1. Defining and Measuring the “Galamsey KPI”

The KPI must be clear, measurable, and multi-dimensional:

• Reduction Metric: Percentage decrease in the number of active illegal mining sites as verified by independent satellite imagery and joint agency reports.
• Reclamation Metric: Hectares of degraded land reclaimed and reforested under the DCE’s supervision.
• Prosecution Metric: Number of high-profile cases (involving financiers, security personnel, or assembly members) successfully prosecuted from the district.
• Alternative Livelihood Metric: Number of ex-galamseyers successfully transitioned into legal, small-scale mining cooperatives or other sustainable ventures.

These KPIs should be publicly reported quarterly on a galamsey dashboard for each district, enabling citizen monitoring.

2. Strengthening Independent Verification

To prevent officials from manipulating data, verification must come from independent bodies. This includes:

• Utilizing geospatial technology and satellite monitoring (e.g., through partnerships with NASA or ESA) to provide objective evidence of land disturbance.
• Empowering civil society organizations like MFWA and community watchdog groups with resources to conduct parallel monitoring and report findings.
• Rotating joint inspection teams from the national level that include representatives from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), not just security agencies.

3. Re-launching and Funding the Cooperative Mining Model

The government must revive the cooperative mining scheme with a renewed focus:

• Creating a dedicated Small-Scale Mining Formalization Fund to provide start-up grants, mining equipment leases, and technical training to registered cooperatives.
• Designating specific “green” mining zones where environmental best practices are mandatory and monitored.
• Ensuring that a transparent percentage of revenue from legal small-scale mining is reinvested directly into community development projects in the mining districts, creating a visible benefit from legal operations.

4. Whistleblower Protection and Reward Systems

Given the complicity of officials, insiders and community members need safe channels to report. Establishing a well-publicized, anonymous whistleblower platform with strong legal protection and a share of recovered assets would incentivize exposure of the “taxation” rackets at the district level.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Is it fair to blame a single DCE for a complex problem like galamsey?

A: The argument is not about blaming but about accountability. The DCE is the chief executive authority in the district, chairing the DISEC which includes police, military, and intelligence heads. If illegal mining flourishes openly, it signifies a failure of the local security and administrative architecture under their leadership. The KPI framework measures their effectiveness in coordinating a response, not implying they single-handedly caused the problem.

Q2: What about the role of traditional leaders and landowners who sell or lease land for galamsey?

A: They play a significant role and must also be held accountable. However, the DCE’s office has the mandate to enforce land use regulations and national mining laws that override customary arrangements. A key part of the DCE’s KPI should be engaging traditional authorities to develop community bylaws that prohibit illegal mining and reporting violations.

Q3: Could this KPI pressure lead to violent crackdowns on miners instead of addressing the root causes?

A: This is a valid risk. The KPI must be designed to reward comprehensive solutions—reclamation, formalization, and prosecution of kingpins—not just the number of arrests or destruction of equipment. The metric should emphasize sustainable outcomes over punitive, short-term actions that alienate communities. The focus must remain on dismantling the criminal networks and providing legal alternatives.

Q4: What legal framework supports holding a DCE accountable for galamsey?

A: Ghana’s 1992 Constitution (Article 240) and the Local Government Act, 2016 (Act 936) outline the functions of DCEs, which include maintaining law and order and ensuring the implementation of national policies. The Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) and the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490) provide the legal basis for regulating mining and protecting the environment. A DCE’s failure to enforce these laws in their district can be cited as a reason for their removal from office by the president under Article 243(2), which states a DCE holds office “at the pleasure of the President.” Formalizing this as a KPI makes the grounds for such a decision explicit and transparent.

Conclusion: From Rhetoric to Measurable Action

Sulemana Braimah’s proposal is a watershed moment in the fight against galamsey in Ghana. It shifts the debate from abstract national condemnation to concrete, local-level accountability. The evidence of a systemic extortion racket involving district executives makes this not just an efficiency measure, but a moral and legal imperative. For too long, the devastating impact of illegal mining on water bodies and forests has been matched by a devastating lack of accountability for those charged with protection.

Implementing this requires political courage. It means the presidency and relevant ministries must be willing to evaluate, transfer, or remove DCEs based on verifiable performance on this single, critical issue. It means investing in the tools for independent verification and reviving the cooperative mining model as a genuine alternative. The alternative—continuing with the current cycle of taskforces, temporary arrests, and environmental ruin—is a national failure. The time has come to treat the eradication of illegal mining as the non-negotiable, top-tier performance metric for Ghana’s district leaders. The health of the nation’s environment, economy, and rule of law depends on it.

Sources and Further Reading

• JoyNews Hotline Investigative Documentary: “A Tax for Galamsey: The extortion racket fueling illegal mining.”