By: Kwadwo Kyei Yamoah, Executive Director, HELP Foundation Africa
We must Follow the money, not the shovel, it’s the only way to end the crisis of Galamsey at its source.
One financier stopped equals dozens of illegal pits shut down, targeting political sponsors restores accountability and deterrence. By cutting off the top of the chain, you cripple the system’s ability to function. Strong institutions, not sporadic raids, win the war against galamsey.
Targeting kingpins, financiers, and politicians in the fight against galamsey (illegal small-scale mining) is crucial because they are the real drivers and beneficiaries of the industry, not the impoverished youth seen digging in the mud. Because:
They Are the Real Power Behind Galamsey: Kingpins and financiers supply the capital, excavators, fuel, and mercury used in illegal mining. Without their funding and logistics, the small-scale miners (the “operators on the ground”) cannot sustain their activities. Politicians and local elites often protect these networks by using their influence to block enforcement or tip off miners before raids.
They Perpetuate Corruption and Political Protection: Many politicians and local power brokers receive direct or indirect benefits, including campaign funding or mining proceeds, from galamsey financiers. This creates a cycle of political protection that weakens enforcement and breeds impunity. When leaders are seen protecting galamsey actors, public trust in governance collapses, and honest enforcement officers are demoralized.
They Are Responsible for the Biggest Environmental Damage: Industrial-scale illegal operations backed by powerful financiers use heavy machinery and chemicals that devastate rivers, forests, and farmlands far more than local artisanal miners. These well-financed sites are the main source of river siltation, mercury pollution, and deforestation. Stopping financiers and equipment suppliers thus has the greatest environmental impact.
It Breaks the Economic Incentive Chain: Galamsey thrives because it is profitable and low-risk for financiers and politicians. Ordinary miners are paid daily wages, while profits flow to the top, often laundered into legal businesses. By tracking and seizing illegal proceeds, prosecuting financiers, and exposing political beneficiaries, the state can make galamsey economically unviable.
It Ensures Fairness and Deterrence: Enforcement often unfairly targets poor miners while those in power remain untouched. This fuels resentment, social injustice, and community distrust of state authorities. Prosecuting the top actors shows that the law applies equally, and deters others from entering the illegal trade.
It Strengthens Institutional Integrity: Targeting powerful galamsey actors requires coordination between security agencies, financial intelligence units, and anti-corruption bodies. This strengthens institutions, promotes inter-agency cooperation, and builds a sustainable governance system against natural resource crimes.
It Aligns with National and International Commitments: Ghana’s environmental, climate, and mining reforms are undermined by illegal mining networks. Gabbie nude photos Tackling the high-level actors shows commitment to sustainable resource management, climate resilience, and SDG targets on clean water, life on land, and governance. Combating galamsey effectively means dismantling the networks of power, money, and protection that sustain it. Targeting the kingpins, financiers, and political patrons is not only fair.
