The 2024 presidential candidate of the Progressive Alliance of Ghana (PAG), Dr John Kpikpi, has argued that Ghana’s persistent illegal mining challenge stems from a deeper, historic failure to properly manage and distribute the nation’s mineral wealth.
He believes the frustration and exclusion felt by mining communities created the conditions that allowed galamsey to evolve into the destructive crisis seen today.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Afternoon Ghana, Dr Kpikpi said illegal mining did not begin as a harmful practice but as a form of artisanal mining driven by economic desperation. According to him, communities that host major mining operations have long felt alienated from the resources beneath their land, even as multinational companies profited.
“Galamsey got a bad name now, but in the beginning it was not a bad thing, it was artisanal mining, people trying to get some gold from the ground. The problems that have developed around galamsey must be traced to the disenfranchisement of Ghanaians from the minerals,” he said.
He added that residents in areas such as Obuasi “see companies take all the gold money away year after year, and they themselves get nothing”, a situation he said pushed many into risky and illegal mining activities when legitimate avenues failed to provide opportunities.
Dr Kpikpi insisted that resolving the galamsey crisis requires a fundamental restructuring of resource ownership to ensure that ordinary Ghanaians directly benefit from national mineral wealth. He argued that punitive measures and military interventions alone will never succeed without addressing this underlying inequity.
Beyond diagnosing the roots of the problem, he praised the government’s Gold Board (Goldbod) initiative as proof that Ghana can successfully manage its natural resources when it assumes greater control. He said the policy’s impact on revenue flows and its contribution to stabilising the cedi demonstrate the potential of strong state-led management.
“I think it was an excellent move, that is what has helped us to change our relationship between the Ghana cedi and the US dollar, and that is only a small part of the gold resource taken over and already producing so much impact instantly,” he said.
Dr Kpikpi said extending the Goldbod model across oil, diamonds and all mineral resources would significantly boost national wealth, reduce the economic motivations for illegal mining and restore fairness in the extractive sector.
“Imagine what it will be like if 100% of it is taken charge of — what can we not do with this?” he noted.
