(Ecofin Agency) - In Ghana, illegal gold mining is hurting both the cocoa crop and the government’s gold mining revenues. While no government has succeeded in stopping the phenomenon, the current regime seems to be on the right track.

In recent days, the Ghanaian political scene has been shaken by debates around illegal gold mining called “galamsey” in the country. Sammy Gyamfi, spokesperson of the main opposition party -the  National Democratic Congress-opened the hostilities by calling the government’s fight against illegal mining “nothing but a scam.”  

He explained that the government’s crusade against illegal gold miners is aimed at replacing the illegal miners with members of the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party.

“[...]Behind the facade of the so-called galamsey fight of the government is a well-crafted ruse designed to appropriate the illicit galamsey trade for party members and the higher-ups in the government and their foreign collaborators,” he accused.

The ruling party quickly responded to the accusations denouncing the NDC's "horrific" record in the fight against the phenomenon during its years in office. Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah, the ruling party’s spokesperson, revealed that the permanent residency permit of Aisha Huang -nicknamed the “Galamsey Queen”- was granted during the Presidency of John Dramani Mahama, a member of the NDC. For the spokesperson, the residence permit allowed the Chinese national to carry out her illegal gold mining activities until her arrest, last month, along with several of her compatriots. 

None of the two main political parties has succeeded in stopping or reducing illegal gold mining in the country. However, in recent months, the current regime has adopted an innovative approach that combines repression with actions to encourage formalization or reintegrate illegal miners into other economic sectors. 

With such reforms, Ghana could become a model in the fight against illegal gold mining that costs African gold producers billions of dollars every year. 

Emiliano Tossou