By Alex Ababio —
Every few months, the Ghanaian public is assured of a tough, no-nonsense crackdown on illegal gold mining, locally known as galamsey. Headlines scream victory as machines are seized and arrests are made. Yet, one inconvenient truth haunts these promises: galamsey thrives deeper, more lucrative, and more destructive than ever before — largely under the shadow of China’s influence and the deep, rotting roots of political compromise that began as far back as the Rawlings era.
History of Politicians involved in illegal mining :
Although the Rawlings government introduced anti-galamsey campaigns such as Operation Halt, these measures were often dismissed as cosmetic and inconsistently applied. Critics argued that corruption and political favoritism weakened their impact, eroding public trust in the rule of law.
Politicians Allegedly Linked to Galamsey (1980–2000)
Jerry John Rawlings – Rumors circulated that Rawlings tacitly permitted certain political allies to control illegal mining, though direct evidence of his personal involvement never emerged.
Paul Victor Obeng – A close confidant of Rawlings and a key policy planner, Obeng was accused of turning a blind eye to illegal mining operations during his tenure.
K.B. Asante – A prominent diplomat and presidential advisor, whose name was tied to patronage networks that supported illegal mining.
Tsatsu Tsikata – Head of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation under Rawlings, suspected of maintaining connections with mining interests.
E.T. Mensah – Sports and Youth Minister, whose name appeared in reports alleging ties to illegal mining in the south.
Kojo Tsikata – Rawlings’ security chief, who faced allegations that he offered protection to particular galamsey interests.
Ibrahim Adams – Minister of Lands and Forestry in the 1990s, allegedly facilitated illegal licensing and overlooked infractions.
Kwame Peprah – Another Finance Minister in Rawlings’ second term, rumored to have set up fiscal frameworks that permitted illegal mining to thrive.
Dr. Kwesi Botchwey – Finance Minister under Rawlings, indirectly implicated for economic policies that failed to address the rise of galamsey.
Yaw Osafo-Maafo – A key economic manager of the Rawlings administration, reportedly linked—albeit indirectly—to clandestine mining operators.
Obed Asamoah – Attorney General and influential Rawlings insider, suspected of pushing legal reforms that indirectly benefited illegal miners.
Yaw Akrasi Sarpong – Narcotics Control Board chief and security officer under Rawlings, associated with allegations of shielding illegal resource extraction.
Victor Selormey – Deputy Finance Minister, linked to claims of fiscal mismanagement that indirectly benefited illegal miners.
Kofi Totobi Quakyi – National Security Minister, accused of presiding over selective enforcement that left big operators untouched.
Daniel Ohene Agyekum – Senior diplomat and political figure, alleged to have protected illegal mining syndicates in the Ashanti region.
Kwame Addo-Kufuor – Politician with strong regional influence, rumored to have had tacit links to galamsey networks.
I.C. Quaye – Regional minister, implicated in shielding illegal mining ventures from scrutiny.
Jerry Asare – Politician and businessman, alleged to have profited from unregulated mining operations.
Kwame Pianim – Economic advisor to Rawlings, rumored to have mining sector connections, although he denied any wrongdoing.
Sam Jonah – Chief Executive of Ashanti Goldfields; while not a politician, his close ties with political elites during Rawlings’ rule placed him at the heart of illegal mining debates.
When President Nana Akufo-Addo came to power in 2017, he vowed to fight galamsey “once and for all.” The pledge echoed past leaders — Rawlings, Kufuor, Mills, Mahama — all of whom had whispered similar oaths. Today, almost eight years on, that war has failed, crippled by decades of political expediency, Chinese-backed power, and a toxic undercurrent of self-interest that has quietly shaped national policy.
The Chinese Enclave & the Secret Pacts
While Ghanaian small-scale miners traditionally dug with shovels and picks, the arrival of Chinese companies after 1992 changed everything. “Once the Chinese showed up, everything changed,” recalls Kwame Boateng, an independent anti-galamsey activist. “Heavy machinery, excavators, water pumps — suddenly you had industrial-grade devastation. And every time someone in power tried to speak up, they were silenced or paid off.”
Between 2008 and 2016 alone, some 50,000 Chinese miners — most from Guangxi province — flooded into rural Ghana with support from Beijing-aligned syndicates. Satellite data from the University of Ghana show that between 2010 and 2017, Ghana lost over 170,000 hectares of forest cover, much of it to galamsey. This is not mere happenstance. It is a system perfected under local political collusion, shielded by strategic international alliances.
A 2021 report by the Global Financial Integrity Group estimated that $2.3 billion worth of gold left Ghana illegally to China in just one year — most of it laundered into legitimate global gold markets. Investigations by Ghana’s Financial Intelligence Centre show that dozens of Chinese front companies, often owned by politically connected Ghanaians, funnel galamsey profits into offshore tax havens.
Politics Without Patriotism
This is where the rot begins. Publicly, Ghana’s presidents rail against galamsey; privately, party financiers and ministers cut lucrative deals with Chinese mining giants and their middlemen.
From the Rawlings period in the 1990s to John Mahama’s administration in the 2010s, a clandestine culture took hold. Even well-meaning leaders found themselves trapped in webs of campaign financing and international diplomacy. “There were people at very top levels, including presidential advisors, who took money to look the other way,” says Prof. Kwasi Darkwa of the University of Cape Coast, a researcher who’s tracked galamsey money trails for over a decade. “And Beijing knew exactly who to pay.”
A former Top minister, under strict anonymity, told me that “you could lose your position if you ever dared to shut down a Chinese-run galamsey operation too close to Accra.”
A 2017 anti-galamsey taskforce report — never published — estimated that 70% of illegal operations in the Ashanti and Western regions were linked to Chinese networks operating with direct political cover. Its most disturbing recommendation? “Identify and prosecute public office holders receiving bribes,” it concluded. That part of the report was buried.
Other Nations Fight Back — Why Can’t Ghana?
Elsewhere on the continent, other countries have taken a much tougher stance. Sierra Leone, for example, expelled over 200 Chinese illegal miners after President Julius Maada Bio came to office in 2018 and introduced strict asset seizures. Zambia recently banned Chinese companies implicated in illegal copper mining and blacklisted them from future tenders.
And Tanzania? Former president John Magufuli famously renegotiated all major mining contracts and jailed dozens of foreign mine managers for tax evasion. Ghana, however, has failed to follow suit — because, as one opposition MP told me, “those who ought to enforce the law are often the very people who profit the most.”
Fear and Intimidation in the Communities
In rural Ghana, the long arm of political complicity is palpable. Village chiefs who dare to resist galamsey receive late-night threats. Journalists exposing Chinese-run pits, like Manasseh Azure, face lawsuits and online harassment. “They told me to back off,” Azure stated “Powerful people — some in uniform, some in Parliament — made sure I understood there’d be consequences.”
Local police chiefs, too, have long been accused of colluding with illegal miners. In 2020, the NGO Earthwatch Ghana documented at least 28 cases where police or military escorts were seen ferrying Chinese excavators into restricted forest zones.
Costs of mercury poisoning from illegal mining
While politicians look the other way, ordinary Ghanaians pay the price. Health authorities say mercury poisoning from illegal mining has tripled in mining villages like Awaso and Kyekyewere since 2015. According to Ghana’s Water Resources Commission, water turbidity in rivers like Offin and Ankobra have increased by over 500%, making them unsafe for human consumption. “We are losing our water bodies forever,” warns Nana Ama Twum, an environmental lawyer who’s part of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey.
And even as small-scale miners are hunted like criminals, those with political connections or Chinese backers continue to profit.
The Way Forward
Ending galamsey will require breaking this iron triangle of political complicity, foreign influence, and vested interest. “If our leaders had any real nationalism left,” says Professor Darkwa, “they’d put the future of our water, forests, and children before their wallets.”
With over US $2 billion in illegal gold exports annually, according to a 2023 Chatham House report, Ghana cannot afford to wait for vague promises and photo-op arrests. Only by dragging this crisis into full light — naming the politicians, exposing the Chinese networks — will we see real change. Until then, galamsey will thrive, protected by the very hands sworn to end it.