HELP Foundation urges targeting kingpins, financiers and politicians to end galamsey in Ghana

Mr Kwadwo Kyei Yamoah, Executive Director of the Human Environment and Livelihood Platform (HELP) Foundation Africa, has called on Ghanaian authorities to focus on kingpins, financiers, and political sponsors in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Yamoah emphasised, “We must follow the money, not the shovel; it’s the only way to end the crises of galamsey at its source.” He explained that stopping one financier could lead to dozens of illegal pits being shut down, noting that cutting off the top of the chain cripples the system’s ability to function.

He stressed that the true drivers of galamsey are not the impoverished youth digging on the ground, but the financiers and local elites who supply capital, excavators, fuel, and mercury. Politicians often protect these networks by influencing enforcement or tipping off miners before raids, perpetuating corruption and impunity.

“Industrial-scale illegal operations backed by powerful financiers use heavy machinery and chemicals that devastate rivers, forests, and farmlands far more than artisanal miners,” he said. Mr Yamoah highlighted that targeting financiers and equipment suppliers would have the greatest environmental impact, tackling river siltation, mercury pollution, and deforestation.

He added that galamsey thrives because it is profitable and low-risk for financiers and politicians, while ordinary miners earn daily wages and remain vulnerable to enforcement. By prosecuting top actors, the state could ensure fairness, deter future perpetrators, and rebuild public trust.

Mr Yamoah called for coordination between security agencies, financial intelligence units, and anti-corruption bodies to strengthen institutional capacity, promote inter-agency cooperation, and establish a sustainable governance framework against natural resource crimes.

“Tackling high-level actors shows commitment to sustainable resource management, climate resilience, and SDG targets on clean water, life on land, and governance,” he stated, stressing that dismantling the networks of power, money, and protection sustaining galamsey is essential for effective reform.