Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has highlighted the dangers that illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey) pose to the environment and lives in general.
Speaking during the Ghana Bar Association conference on Monday, September 15, he stated that galamsey is a phenomenon which gnaws at the nation’s heart and is undoubtedly an existential threat.
He noted that its effects are well known and well documented. Galamsey has devastated our environment and continues to do so by polluting rivers, destroying forests and fertile farmlands, and degrading soil. Galamsey is a major cause of water pollution in Ghana, with rivers like the Pra, Ankobra, and Birim becoming lifeless and murky.
“This is due to the dumping of waste and the use of toxic chemicals like mercury, which transform into highly toxic methylmercury,” he said,
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie noted that the Ghana Water Company Limited continues to warn of a severe water crisis in the near future if immediate action is not taken to address the problem. Indeed, the fear is that if the situation remains the same, a time may come when Ghanaians would no longer have access to safe drinking water because its treatment plants currently face a process loss of 35-50% instead of the acceptable level of 5% or less.
“Galamsey has stripped away topsoil and vegetation, leading to severe erosion and rendering land unusable for farming. The landscape of affected communities is scarred by excavation leaving it barren and prone to further damage. The large-scale clearing of forests for mining has destroyed natural habitats, disrupted ecosystems, and reduced the land’s ability to provide essential services like water purification and carbon sequestration.
“Socially, it has contributed to the displacement of farmers, farmhand, and whole families as farmlands are converted to mining sites. It has also increased poverty and potential health issues due to contaminated water and mercury exposure, impacting food security and the livelihoods of several local communities. The loss of agricultural land and increased cost of living has contributed to higher poverty levels and exacerbated existing economic challenges in galamsey communities. Studies have shown that the use of dynamite for rock blasting releases air-borne particulates, reducing air quality. Mercury and other heavy metals from mining have contaminated water sources and are now directly linked to birth defects and other health issues in communities that consume the water,” he said.
Economically, he added, while providing some income, the environmental damage and shift from agriculture has led to higher living costs and lower food production in affected regions. The destruction of arable land and contamination of water sources has directly impacted agricultural productivity, leading to low food production, food price spikes, and increased food costs in affected areas.
“How can we also forget the national security challenges brought about by the menace of galamsey, as the influx of miners often accompanied by foreign investors, have been linked with an increase in instances of robbery, violence, and other criminal activities in affected communities.
“As the Igbo proverb made popular by celebrated Nigerian author Chinua Achebe goes, ‘the death that will kill a man begins as an appetite. In 1989 when the State promulgated the Minerals Law, PNDCL 218, to officially recognise small scale mining for the first time, we could scarcely have imagined that the activity would take on a totally different hue and become as virulent as it has been these past few years. Not even the repeal and replacement of the legislation by the Minerals and Mining Act 703 in 2006 to provide a more comprehensive and regulatory framework could eliminate illegal small-scale mining.
“Indeed, in the years after, galamsey has gotten worse, as the measures we have employed to combat galamsey seem half-hearted and unable to curb this menace, which is a threat to the country’s survival. How did we get here as a nation to allow a few selfish and greedy individuals connected to power and influence in society, hold the entire nation and its future to ransom for their benefit? And we cannot pretend not to know them in order to bring them to justice and rather arrest, parade, and prosecute those at the lowest rungs of the activity chain. Considering the unspeakable death, pain, and destruction that galamsey has brought to this country, I urge political leadership to take bold and far-reaching measures to bring this menace to a long overdue end.
“We cannot continue to dither in September 2025 on the repeal of L.I. 2462 that has permitted mining in forest reserves. It is a good place to start, if we sincerely want to win the war against galamsey. The time to act is now without any further delay. This leads me to the next subject I want to speak about – drug abuse.”
