Corruption and the Fight Against Galamsey: A 16-Year Look

The fight against illegal mining, or galamsey, in Ghana has been undermined not only by the activities of illegal miners but also by alleged corruption and complicity among some of those tasked with stopping them.

In an article, mining expert Dr Kenneth Bansah,  traces the problem over the past 16 years, highlighting allegations of bribery, protection of illegal miners, political interference and misconduct involving security personnel and state officials.

His latest concerns follow the arrest of nine Blue Water Guards over alleged bribery and impersonation of NAIMOS operatives, which he says underscores a long-standing challenge in Ghana’s fight against galamsey.

Below is the full article:

Over the years, my research has shown that one of the major problems affecting Ghana’s fight against galamsey is corruption.

Soldiers have been deployed. Police officers have been deployed. Committees and task forces have been formed. Water guards have been recruited. Forestry and other state officials have also been involved.

Unfortunately, some of the people entrusted with fighting galamsey have themselves become part of the problem. Some take bribes. Some protect miners. Information about impending raids is leaked to miners. Others become sponsors or direct investors in the mining activities.

I captured some of these issues in a paper published in the Journal of Cleaner Production in 2023 titled “Artisanal and small-scale mining formalization in Ghana: The government’s approach and its implications for cleaner and safer production.”

The NPP government introduced river guards to patrol and protect our water bodies from illegal mining. The NDC government followed with the Blue Water Guards in 2025 with a similar objective.

When the Blue Water Guards were introduced, I raised concerns about the approach. I indicated that some of the people recruited could eventually become miners themselves, take money from miners, or become informants for them.

Yesterday, nine Blue Water Guards were arrested for taking bribes and impersonating NAIMOS operatives.

But this problem did not start yesterday.

Here, I take the pain to compile some of the corruption and complicity issues associated with the fight against galamsey over the last 16 years.

2010–2012: Military and police operations against galamsey continued, together with concerns about bribery and protection of illegal miners.

2013: A major national crackdown on galamsey was launched. Corruption and protection of illegal miners continued.

2014–2016: Bribery and protection of illegal miners continued alongside military and police operations.

2017: Some Operation Vanguard personnel were accused of taking bribes and releasing illegal miners who had been arrested.

2018: Soldiers and police officers serving with Operation Vanguard were arrested for extortion and taking money from illegal miners.

2019: The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) became embroiled in allegations of bribery and corruption.

2020: Then came the famous “missing excavators.” Excavators seized from illegal miners could not be accounted for.

2021: Political interference, selective enforcement, and protection of connected miners continued to affect the fight against galamsey.

2022: Political connections and the involvement of some security and state officials in illegal mining continued to raise concerns.

2023: The Frimpong-Boateng galamsey report brought political interference, protection of illegal miners, and problems with seized equipment into the national conversation.

2024: Investigations into corruption involving illegal mining, public officials, state institutions, and seized equipment continued.

2025: Security personnel entrusted with fighting galamsey were themselves arrested in connection with illegal mining activities.

2026: Some Blue Water Guards were removed for misconduct. Now, nine others have been arrested for taking bribes and impersonating NAIMOS operatives.

You may share your thoughts on how we can tackle galamsey more effectively and address corruption in the fight against illegal mining.

By Kenneth Bansah, PhD, PE