Introduction
Ghana, a lower-middle-income country in West Africa, faces a critical development
challenge in the form of illegal mining, locally known as "galamsey." This widespread
practice has severe economic, environmental, and social implications, hindering the
nation's sustainable development efforts. Illegal mining in Ghana has become a
significant obstacle to economic growth and development. Despite the country's
transition to lower-middle-income status in 2010, the prevalence of galamsey activities
undermines formal mining operations, reduces investor confidence, and limits
government revenue. A study by Crawford and Botchwey (2018) estimated that the
Ghanaian government lost approximately $2.3 billion in tax revenue between 2010 and
2017 due to illegal mining activities.
The environmental consequences of galamsey are particularly alarming. Illegal mining
has led to extensive deforestation, water pollution, and land degradation. Approximately
60% of Ghana's fresh water sources are contaminated by toxins and chemicals from
illegal gold mining activities (Mantey et. al., 2020). This pollution not only threatens
public health but also disrupts local ecosystems and traditional livelihoods such as
fishing and farming.
Socially, illegal mining contributes to various issues, including increased student
attrition, juvenile exploitation, human trafficking, and substance abuse among youth.
The practice often attracts both locals and foreigners, exacerbating social tensions and
putting additional strain on already limited resources (Agathe, 2024). The governance
challenges associated with illegal mining further complicate the issue. Weak institutional
frameworks, inadequate enforcement, and corruption contribute to the persistence of
galamsey. The involvement of local chiefs, who sometimes receive royalties from
miners, and the operation of mining activities in remote areas make effective monitoring
and regulation difficult (Crawford and Botchwey, 2016). Ghana's efforts to combat illegal
mining, such as the introduction of Act 995 in 2019 and the establishment of Operation
Vanguard, have had limited success. These interventions often target small-scale
miners while failing to address the well-resourced networks behind the illegal operations
(Yiridomoh, 2021).
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There is a pressing need to monitor the impacts of illegal mining activities to provide
policymakers with critical data and insights necessary to develop and implement
effective strategies to address the issue. Failure to tackle this effectively could lead to
long-term consequences, including potential water shortages by 2030 and irreversible
damage to the country's natural resources (Ofori, 2022). Recent research highlights the
potential of remote sensing and GIS technologies to monitor and quantify these
environmental changes over time, providing critical data for policymakers and resource
managers ((Bouaziz and Benndorf, 2024; Mantey et. al., 2020). However, there remains
a gap in integrating spatial analysis with socio-economic assessments to fully
understand the broader impacts of illegal mining on community well-being and
sustainable development. This study aims to address this gap by combining remote
sensing analysis with a review of the socio-economic effects of illegal mining in Western
Ghana.
