Bishop Matthew Addae-Mensah writes: History of galamsey in Ghana

As a graduate of Tarkwa School of Mines, although I offered Mechanical Engineering course as part of the curriculum, students were introduced into basic mining engineering.
So I have some knowledge to share about genesis of galamasey menace.

1. Galamasey started at Prestea in the Western Region in 1894 when the locals discovered that one can use mercury to extract gold from the sand residue left by the miners. They called it gather-them-and- sell (galamasey).

2. When the Mining company tried to stop it the local leaders used poverty and unemployment among the youth to defend the illegal mining practice.

3. ⁠The practice spread to Dunkwa, Diaso, Bibiani, and Agogo Mining Companies.

4. ⁠During Ghana’s fight for independence, galamasey which was limited to mining sites was justified by our “freedom fighters” as a way for the locals to get their portion of the gold. Kwame Nkrumah used the phrase where the colonial masters have written “stay off there is danger, there is gold.”

5. ⁠After independence the galamaseyers were emboldened and started entering into mine pits at night and state mining companies started using their security staffs to fight them off. The excuse for illegal mining was “poverty and unemployment among the youth are major cause”. The mining companies under the leadership of Mr. Bentum Williams offered quotas of employment to indigenes, but still galamasey went on unabated.

6. ⁠At a point, mining companies gave part of their concessions to these illegal miners but still that could not stop galamasey.

7. ⁠During June 4th 1979 Revolution, J J Rawlings started fighting galamaseyers who had taken over state mining companies’ sites.  In Tarkwa, about 19 illegal miners were killed, and their bodies dumped into unused mining pits. Galamasey then went underground for sometime only to surface in 80s with sophistication and the practice extended to water bodies.

8. ⁠Some miners who were affected the PNDC structural adjustment program brought their expertise to galamasey operators. Some business men got on board to sponsoring some youth including returnees from Nigeria.

9. ⁠From 1992- 2012, some constituencies executives from both NPP and NDC got in  involved using galamasey as form of employment for their supporters in mining areas. That was when the practice was boldly extended onto rivers and restricted forests.

8. ⁠ Apart from pollution on water bodies, land degradation, soil erosion, environmental degradation and poisoning of the soil which would take 15 years or more to reclaim; drug abuse, addiction, occultism, and armed bandits blossomed in and was on the rise at such communities.

9. ⁠I will advocate strong education for community to understand the consequences of illegal mining, effect of chemicals like mercury and cyanide on the soil, water bodies, flora and fauna, and human health – backed by strong legislation. We should also include basic mining engineering and technology in JHS & SHS curriculum to inculcate the proper and sustainable methods in the young.

By Bishop Matthew Addae-Mensah contact faithjudah@gmail.com