Another week, another tragedy. Five young men gone — buried alive in a collapsed pit at Kasotie in the Ashanti Region. Their families will mourn them forever. But sadly, they are not the first, and if nothing changes, they won’t be the last.
This is the reality of galamsey. It is not just about digging for gold. It is about lives cut short, rivers turned brown, children growing up without safe drinking water, and entire communities left in despair.
The Human Cost
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Our rivers are dying. The Pra, Offin, Ankobra and many more — rivers our parents once drank from freely — are now poisoned with mercury and cyanide. Experts warn that nearly 60% of Ghana’s water bodies are polluted, much of it from illegal mining. Try telling a farmer or a mother in a rural community that she cannot drink, fish, or farm because her river is poisoned.
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Our health is on the line. Kidney failures, strange illnesses, children with heavy metals in their blood — these are the hidden scars of galamsey. Doctors are raising the alarm, but the problem continues.
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Our young people are dying. Every few weeks we hear of miners trapped in a pit, or drowned in abandoned holes filled with water. These are not statistics. They are sons, brothers, fathers — people who should be alive, contributing to Ghana’s future.
Why Responsible Mining Matters
Ghana is blessed with gold. But if the way we mine it destroys our land and kills our people, then what is the blessing worth?
Responsible mining means:
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Miners work under safe conditions, not in death traps.
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Water bodies are protected so every child can drink clean water.
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Mining benefits communities and not just a few greedy people.
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Our health, our cocoa farms, our future are not sacrificed for short-term gains.
Responsible mining is possible. Other countries do it. Even here in Ghana, small-scale miners who follow the rules are showing it can be done. What is missing is the will to enforce the rules and support those who want to do things right.
Government Must Act Now
The truth is, government cannot keep looking away. We need more than task forces that come and go. We need more than promises at press conferences.
What we need is:
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Immediate closure and rehabilitation of abandoned pits that are killing people.
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Real support for small-scale miners who want to work legally and safely.
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Health screenings for communities exposed to poisoned water.
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Strong laws that are enforced fairly, without fear or favour.
Above all, we need leadership that cares more about saving lives and protecting the environment than protecting illegal miners with connections.
A Call From the Heart
Galamsey is not only an environmental issue. It is a human issue. It is about the kind of Ghana we want to leave behind. Will it be a Ghana where rivers flow clean, where our youth find dignified jobs, and where mining truly benefits the people? Or will it be a Ghana where our children inherit poisoned water, abandoned pits, and memories of lives lost too soon?
The choice is ours — but time is running out. Every pit collapse, every polluted river, every preventable death is a reminder that we cannot delay any longer.
Ghana must choose life over death, rivers over gold dust, and responsible mining over galamsey.
