Addressing illegal mining with comprehensive policy interventions - Lessons in Sierra Leone

Illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, is a significant environmental and socio-economic issue due to poverty, lack of formal employment and quick wealth attraction. 

This activity has caused severe environmental damage, water contamination and social instability in Ghana.  

Citizens, civil society groups and other institutions demanding immediate action from government officials to curb the menace continue to face several challenges, including remands in police custody.

The persistence of the galamsey menace, despite various government policy interventions, raises concerns about the effectiveness of these policies in addressing the issue once and for all.

Ghana’s small-scale mining sector has historically supplied livelihoods to rural people. However, a rising number of illegal mining activities has shifted this activity into a more destructive force.

Rivers and farmlands in places rich in gold resources, such as the Ashanti, Western and Eastern regions, have suffered as a consequence, with mining waste poisoning water supplies and damaging agricultural land.

A broad variety of governmental interventions has been explored, from military crackdowns to stronger regulatory frameworks. However, the impossible answer has remained out of reach.

The causes for this are various, but one common factor is the deep-rooted economic dependence on illegal mining among afflicted communities.

Blood Diamond

The "Blood Diamond" situation in Sierra Leone serves as a case study of how strategic policy implementation could address similar issues in Ghana. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sierra Leone’s diamond mining sector faced a crisis comparable in several respects to Ghana’s fight with galamsey.

Diamonds were known as “blood diamonds” fueling armed conflict and contributing to terrible human rights violations and environmental devastation.

With the help of international organisations, Sierra Leone was able to mitigate the adverse effects of illegal mining and trafficking through a variety of actions, the most prominent of which was the formation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS).

This scheme created a global regulatory framework to prevent the sale of conflict diamonds by requiring certification for every diamond entering international markets.

By working together with international partners, Sierra Leone was able to control the flow of conflict diamonds, decreasing the role of illegal trading and enabling a more transparent and regulated sector.

Galamsy

While galamsey is not often related to armed conflict, both crises have economic, environmental and social consequences that are disastrous for their respective nations.

The allure of quick wealth from diamonds in Sierra Leone mirrors the attraction to gold in Ghana.

Both Sierra Leone’s diamond miners and Ghana’s galamsey miners confront limited economic choices, and both operate in secluded locations where governmental influence is restricted.

These settings develop a dependence on illegal mining, making permanent solutions tough to achieve. For Ghana, this backdrop shows that policy solutions need to confront the main causes that promote illegal mining: poverty, lack of formal employment and poor government.

Lessons

Drawing on lessons from Sierra Leone’s Kimberley Process, Ghana should consider adopting a more comprehensive strategy to mitigate galamsey. Here are several ways in which policy could make a substantial difference:

First, Ghana might develop a gold certification programme akin to the Kimberley Process, guaranteeing that only sustainably sourced gold can be marketed worldwide and locally.

This would minimise the demand for gold from galamsey sources and give miners incentives to operate within a legal system.

Economic incentives for miners to register and legitimise their activities might stimulate a change from illicit to legal mining operations. This may offer monitoring and money collection, and prevent environmental harm.

Again, for sustainability purposes, policy should focus on community development via alternative livelihood initiatives, education, skills training and assistance for small companies.

Moreover, Ghana should tighten its environmental legislation, establishing rigorous enforcement and sanctions for firms or people engaging in damaging mining operations. 

International assistance is vital and Ghana may construct better frameworks for policy formulation, law enforcement and community support by partnering with institutions like the World Bank, the African Development Bank and environmental NGOs.

Policy interventions

It is important to note that policy intervention is vital, but it's not a magic bullet. Implementing certification methods like the Kimberley Process would be problematic because of the complicated gold trade and informal miners working outside legal structures.

Corruption, lack of money and limited accessibility in remote regions can pose obstacles. Creating economic alternatives for illegal miners is a serious task, particularly in locations with limited employment opportunities.

Overcoming these difficulties demands substantial government and international commitment.

The “Blood Diamond” crisis in Sierra Leone presents a powerful example of how policy interventions when carefully designed and strictly implemented, can address the roots of illegal mining and trading.

For Ghana, a similar strategy focusing on certification, economic incentives, community development, environmental control and international cooperation might offer a blueprint for eliminating galamsey.

While no single action will totally eliminate illegal mining, an integrated, multi-faceted approach can mitigate its effect, improve economic conditions in affected regions and conserve the environment for future generations.

The writer is Coordinator, 
Akurase Mpuntuo Mentorship Program.
E-mail: duodufelix@
akurasempuntuo.org