Speaking Friday, Ashigbey expressed fears that the quality degradation caused by galamsey activities threatens Ghana’s reputation as a reliable gold supplier, potentially closing off critical export markets. Our gold may soon be rejected on the international market due to increasing contamination, he stated, emphasizing that every measure must be taken to address the galamsey menace before economic consequences compound environmental devastation.
The contamination concerns stem from illegal miners’ widespread use of mercury and other chemicals in gold extraction processes. These substances not only poison water bodies and agricultural lands but also compromise the purity of gold produced, making it potentially unsuitable for buyers who maintain strict quality standards for industrial and jewelry applications.
Ashigbey also directed pointed criticism at traditional authorities, urging the National House of Chiefs to start calling out members involved in galamsey as a way of helping to address the menace. We need the National House of Chiefs to call out those chiefs who are complicit, he reportedly said, challenging the institution to demonstrate moral leadership rather than remaining silent while some traditional leaders allegedly facilitate illegal mining on stool lands.
The dual warnings from Ashigbey, who also serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, reflect growing frustration among anti-galamsey activists that the crisis has reached existential proportions. His coalition has been at the forefront of civil society pressure on successive governments to take decisive action against illegal mining.
Ghana’s gold industry contributes significantly to national revenue and foreign exchange earnings, making threats to its international marketability particularly alarming. The country ranks among Africa’s leading gold producers, with the precious metal consistently appearing as one of Ghana’s top export commodities alongside cocoa and crude oil.
However, the proliferation of illegal mining has created a parallel informal gold sector that operates outside regulatory oversight. Galamsey operators use rudimentary extraction methods involving mercury amalgamation, a process that releases toxic mercury vapor into the atmosphere while contaminating soil and water with mercury runoff.
International gold buyers, particularly those in Europe and North America, have increasingly emphasized traceability and sustainability in their sourcing decisions. Major jewelry brands and electronics manufacturers face consumer pressure to ensure their gold supplies don’t contribute to environmental destruction or human rights abuses, creating potential vulnerabilities for gold from countries with widespread illegal mining.
If international buyers begin questioning the integrity of Ghana’s gold supply chains or demanding more rigorous certification, it could force legitimate mining companies to invest heavily in additional quality assurance systems or face market access restrictions. Smaller licensed miners and gold dealers might find themselves unable to meet enhanced documentation requirements, further concentrating the sector.
Ashigbey’s call for chiefs to publicly identify complicit traditional leaders addresses what many view as a critical enabler of illegal mining. Traditional authorities exercise significant influence over land allocation and use in Ghana’s customary land tenure system. Chiefs who lease stool lands to illegal miners or accept payments to allow galamsey operations make it virtually impossible to eliminate the practice in affected communities.
The National House of Chiefs has historically been reluctant to publicly sanction members for galamsey involvement, with some observers suggesting the institution protects its own despite evidence of widespread traditional authority complicity. Individual chiefs have occasionally faced prosecution or destoolment for illegal mining connections, but systematic accountability remains elusive.
Ashigbey’s coalition recently met with President John Dramani Mahama to discuss galamsey responses. While describing the engagement as positive, coalition members expressed concern that they received no clear timelines on promises made to tackle illegal mining, suggesting skepticism about whether the new administration will deliver substantive action.
The contamination warning carries particular urgency given recent gold price surges. Global gold prices reached near record highs in late 2024, creating powerful incentives for illegal mining expansion. Higher prices mean more operators flood into galamsey, often using increasingly aggressive extraction methods that maximize short-term yields while accelerating environmental damage.
This dynamic creates a vicious cycle where high gold prices drive more illegal mining, which increases contamination and environmental destruction, which eventually threatens market access for all Ghanaian gold, potentially depressing prices and undermining the legitimate mining sector that generates formal employment and government revenue.
Beyond market rejection risks, Ashigbey has previously highlighted galamsey’s devastating local impacts. Over 960 families have reportedly lost farmlands, with more than 556 acres destroyed in the Central Region alone. Water bodies serving millions of people have been rendered undrinkable by mercury and sediment pollution, forcing communities to seek alternative water sources or consume contaminated supplies.
The health consequences are equally alarming. Mercury exposure causes kidney damage, neurological problems, and developmental issues in children. Communities near galamsey sites report rising incidence of kidney disease, skin conditions, and respiratory ailments linked to environmental contamination. These public health impacts will persist for generations even if illegal mining stops immediately.
Ashigbey has characterized galamsey as an existential crisis rather than merely an environmental challenge, arguing that Ghana faces fundamental choices about its future. His warning about international market rejection adds an economic dimension to what’s often framed primarily as environmental or health issues.
The coalition leader’s frustration also reflects his view that those tasked with curbing illegal mining are actively involved and benefiting from it. The firefighters are the arsonists, he has said previously, pointing to alleged complicity among politicians, security officials, and bureaucrats who should be enforcing regulations but instead enable galamsey for personal gain.
This leadership failure, in Ashigbey’s analysis, explains why repeated government anti-galamsey campaigns have yielded limited results. Military deployments achieve temporary suppression in targeted areas, but illegal miners simply relocate and resume operations once security presence diminishes. Without addressing political protection and official complicity, enforcement efforts remain fundamentally undermined.
The call for chiefs to expose complicit traditional leaders represents an attempt to fracture this protective network. If respected traditional authorities publicly identify and shame peers involved in galamsey, it could create social pressure and legitimize stronger action against those chiefs. However, the National House of Chiefs’ historical reluctance suggests this strategy faces significant obstacles.
Ashigbey has also called for declaration of a state of emergency in areas ravaged by illegal mining, arguing that normal governance processes have proven inadequate. Emergency powers would theoretically enable more aggressive enforcement, faster prosecution, and deployment of military assets without standard procedural constraints that illegal miners exploit through legal challenges and political connections.
Critics of emergency declarations worry they could enable human rights abuses or become permanent measures that erode democratic governance. Ashigbey and fellow activists argue that the crisis severity justifies extraordinary measures, particularly given conventional approaches’ repeated failures.
The contamination warning may resonate more powerfully with policymakers than environmental and health arguments because it threatens immediate economic consequences. Government officials who might discount pollution concerns or public health impacts cannot ignore the prospect of losing access to international gold markets that generate crucial foreign exchange.
Whether this economic threat proves sufficient to catalyze genuine action remains uncertain. Ghana has faced galamsey challenges for decades, with successive governments promising crackdowns that ultimately disappoint. The difference now, according to Ashigbey, is that the crisis has reached a tipping point where irreversible damage threatens both the environment and the economy.
His dual message, combining market rejection warnings with calls for traditional leader accountability, reflects a strategic effort to apply pressure from multiple directions simultaneously. Economic threats target policymakers’ interests, while challenges to chiefs appeal to cultural values around leadership integrity and community responsibility.
Source: ghananews.com.gh
