Illegal mining known as galamsey is booming across Ghana, luring thousands with promises of quick riches. But the gold rush is leaving behind poisoned rivers, scarred farmlands, and a growing environmental crisis.
Drive an hour south of Kumasi and the forest gives way to bare hills crowded with makeshift gold mines. Workers dig through mud and wash earth for flecks of gold that fetch record global prices of $4,000 an ounce. “I’ve worked galamsey for 15 years,” says Steven, a father of five earning about 1,000 cedis ($81) weekly—eight times the national minimum wage.
Profitable but illegal, galamsey has become widespread in Ghana, Africa’s largest gold exporter. The mining practice sustains 1.5 million people but contaminates rivers and farmland with mercury. “It’s a complicated fight,” President John Mahama says, noting the tension between protecting livelihoods and the environment.
Mahama’s new regulator, GoldBod, aims to control illegal mining and increase state revenue. Yet environmentalists warn that pollution levels are rising and corruption persists. As gold prices soar, Ghana’s challenge is turning the rush for riches into sustainable growth rather than lasting damage.