Local chiefs and investors in Ghana?s mining industry are upset by the activities of illegal miners but are counting on political transformation to turn the tide.
Gold was discovered at Obuasi in the Ashanti region in 1897; since then, not a week passes without news about illegal miners known as galamseyers in the Ghanaian media.
The illegal miners have left their mark in Africa?s second-biggest gold miner after South Africa, disrupting commercial operations in several mines in Ghana and costing mining giants millions of dollars, killing people via uncovered pits and creating environmental mess.
Their proposition is seductively simple: Why should “our” minerals be mined by foreigners to the benefit of other countries when those presumed benefits are better kept at home?
The illegal miners use sophisticated machines, including excavators, bulldozers and explosives, among others to look for gold, though their activities are illegal according to the Ghanaian mineral laws.
Currently, there are about 10,000 illegal miners operating on the surface and underground at the loss-making concession in Ghana.
Now, the government and the Ghana Chamber of Mines are talking tough. But industry observers say government is reluctant to flush out illegal miners ahead of a general election in December.
Illegal mining in Ghana is gradually becoming significantly mechanised. This has not only been compounded by the use of explosives and cyanide in their operations but also by the presence of foreign nationals, particularly Chinese, who illegally supply dredging machines and crushers to the illegal operators under the guise of providing services to small-scale miners.
Foreign galamseyers
Ghana?s Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, in a recent speech at Ohumkan Festival of the chiefs and people of Akyem Tafo in the Eastern region, cautioned foreigners involved in illegal mining to desist from the practice or be made to face the full rigours of the law.
He said the use of sophisticated machines by the foreigners is destroying the environment to the detriment of the country.
?It is not acceptable for foreigners to be involved in illegal mining, and those who are caught will face the full rigours of the law without any discrimination.?
Mahama warned that the government will not continue to sit still for any foreigner to flout the laws of Ghana.
He explained that, initially, it was only Ghanaian youth who were involved in illegal mining, using pickaxes and shovels to mine.
Unfortunately however, he said, some foreigners with capital and investment are coming to the country and giving sophisticated machines to the youth to mine.
?And if you look at the destruction they are causing to the environment, the government cannot continue to sit and let this happen,? he said.
To stop the menace, he gave the assurance that government together with traditional leaders will come up with a plan on how best to stop foreigners from mining illegally in the country.
Galamseyers hurting miners
According the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the increasing activities of illegal mining operators continue to be a threat to the good standing and image of the regulated mining industry.
?The activities of the illegal miners have escalated due to the relatively high price of gold in 2011,? said Daniel Owiredu, President of the Ghana Chamber Mines at its 84th Annual General Meeting.
Due to this menace, he said, gold mining companies have to spend huge sums of money to protect their concessions — with mixed success.
He added: ?In the event, illegal mining has taken on disturbing trends as illegal miners expand their activities onto public lands and in water-bodies, polluting and destroying these natural resources extensively.
?The Chamber will persist with its advocacy for the promotion of legal small-scale miners and also engage policymakers and other interested parties on the consequences and the urgent need to arrest the preponderance of the illegal forms and their attendant menaces,? Owiredu disclosed.
New mining law
Ghana will introduce a new mining law to help address the current challenges facing the industry.
?We are left with the final validation workshop by stakeholders in the mining industry, as well as government approval for its passage,? said Mike Hammah, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
Hammah said that the law, dubbed Regulation 2012, will deal with noise-level in mining communities, and seismic level as well as permissible operational areas to be covered.
By Michael Ray-Pollera
