The Role of Laws in the Fight against Galamsey in Ghana: An Exploratory Study

David Asumda, Ogochukwu C. Nweke

Pentecost University, Regent University College of Science and Technology

Illegal and artisanal/small-scale mining, known as galamsey in the Ghanaian context, has remained an environmental, social, and governance concern in Ghana, despite the fact that there are robust laws governing mining and environmental issues in the country. This paper provides an exploration of the role of the law in dealing with the issue of galamsey. The study employed the qualitative-exploratory design. Data was gathered through in-depth interviewing and Focus Group Discussion methods. The thematic analysis of the data showed that though there is the existence of a legal framework on small-scale mining in Ghana, its efficiency in dealing with galamsey was limited by lack of knowledge about the legal provisions, inconsistent and selective enforcement, lack of institutional support and resources, corruption and political meddling, reliance on galamsey for income and deeply rooted social and cultural practices. It was observed that legal measures had the effect of bringing about mainly temporary changes in behavior rather than a reduction in illegal mining across the board. The research concludes that the existence of laws alone is not enough to put an end to illegal mining unless there is proper implementation, community participation, building up the institutions, and addressing the root causes of the problem through economic interventions. The study adds to the existing literature by revealing empirical community-level insights into the role of mining laws. The findings highlight the need for a combination of legal and socio-economic approaches to successfully tackle the problem of illegal mining in Ghana

Article link: https://www.asianinstituteofresearch.org/lhqrarchives/the-role-of-laws-in-the-fight-against-galamsey-in-ghana%3A-an-exploratory-study