Men with no protective equipment, very little training and sub-par mining tools are spread throughout Ghana as the popularity of illegally operated gold mines continues to increase, according to a recent report from Reuters.
One man, a 24-year-old accounting student, told the news agency he turned to the illicit operation to make money after his father died when he was a teenager.
Small-scale mines produced 1.2 million ounces of gold through July of this year, more than in all of 2023, the report states.
One Ghanian official said most metals mined from the illegal operations are smuggled out of the country and do not contribute to national export revenue.
“We should be able to get a lot of money and probably exit the IMF programme earlier,” Martin Ayisi, head of Ghana’s Minerals Commission, told Reuters.
Industry expects, however, told Reuters said the lines between legal mining and “galamsey,” the illegal industry, are blurred and national revenues due include a portion of the illegal proceeds.
Collapsing pits are a recurring problem, according to human rights groups, while hospitals continue to report high numbers of pulmonary disease-related deaths among miners and residents near mines.
This chart shows gold production in Ghana by year. (Source: Statista)
Ghanaian governments have promised to quell the issue for years, but very few have made any headway, partly because of the influential players behind the industry.
“It has become an elite consensus that they’ll not touch this business,” said Emmanuel Kwesi Anning, a security consultant based in Accra, who spoke to Reuters.
An unnamed source claimed authorities are working to address links between illegal mining, money laundering and gun trafficking, Reuters reported. Augusta Precious Metals $0 (10 Years) $50,000 "Best Overall" by Money Magazine, Award-Winning for 6 Years, Thousands of 5-Star Rankings Goldco Vary $25,000 Industry leader with over $2 Billion in gold and silver. Top rated precious metals company with buy back guarantee American Hartford Gold Vary $10,000 American Hartford Gold, ranked #1 Gold Company on Inc. 5000, boasts thousands of A+ BBB ratings and 5-star reviews, endorsed by Bill O'Reilly and Rick Harrison..Expand Details
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