Good Governance, Ecological Footprint and the Fight against Galamsey in Ghana

A Human Security Perspective

Abstract

A National Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining held in April 2021 under the auspices of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources of the Government of Ghana, concluded by consensus, that, “dealing with galamsey is a national emergency which requires urgent and concerted effort.” Such an alarming declaration after more than three decades ‘war’ on galamsey is an eloquent testimony of the failure of successive governments to put a stop to it and its devastating effects on the environment and Ghana’s water bodies. This paper attempted to do two things; appraise government’s effort so far in the fight against galamsey, and explore the human security dimension of the ‘battle’ against galamsey on the assumption that, such an approach would present a better outcome in dealing with the menace. Using desk reviews as the method of investigation, the paper finds that, the inherent militaristic approach of government to ending galamsey has produced disappointing outcomes. The paper also finds that, the human security approach to ending galamsey is neither employed by government nor has it received attention in public and policy discourse on the matter, in spite of its tremendous opportunities for remedying the galamsey menace. Consequently, this paper among other recommendations calls on government to mainstream human security in its approach in order to deal with the root causes of galamsey; enhance effectiveness, focus on prevention, and reverse the eroding public confidence in government’s ability to fight galamsey.