Four illegal miners have died in a devastating mining pit collapse incident at Bepotenten Sukuum, a farming community in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti region. A mining pit caved in on a group of illegal miners at Bepotenten Sukuum at approximately 16:00 hours on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. The four miners working at […]
A high-stakes anti-galamsey operation in the Kobro Forest Reserve has exposed the deep-seated challenge of political interference in Ghana’s fight against illegal mining. On Monday afternoon, a joint task force comprising the Ashanti South Police Command and Logist Group Company Limited successfully apprehended four suspected illegal miners. However, the mission was nearly derailed when local […]
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Authority, Dr Mary Awusi, has issued a sharp response to the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Dr Eric Nyamekye, cautioning him over his recent public comments on illegal mining (galamsey) and warning that future interventions could be treated as political statements. Speaking in an […]
John Awuah, President of the Ghana Association of Banks, has criticised Ghana’s civil society organisations (CSOs), accusing them of losing credibility and moral authority in the fight against illegal mining. In a strongly worded commentary, Mr Awuah said the country’s civil society space has failed to match the scale of the galamsey threat, despite repeatedly […]
A chilling exposé by JoyNews’ Hotline Documentary has uncovered a sophisticated pay-to-destroy syndicate operating in the heart of the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region. The investigation reveals that the assembly have effectively legalised environmental destruction by forming a task force to issue stickers and levying taxes on prohibited mining equipment, including the notorious […]
Ghana has taken a major step in its gold industry by beginning to refine gold locally, a move the government hopes will help the country earn more foreign exchange and keep more value from its mineral resources at home. The new refining push follows a deal involving Gold Coast Refinery and Rand Refinery. Together, the […]
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched sweeping nationwide measures to clamp down on unregulated gold leaching, warning illegal operators to comply with new environmental standards or face prosecution. The Authority describes chemical leaching as an escalating environmental hazard, citing rising cases of hazardous effluent discharge, soil contamination, and the degradation of critical water resources […]
Illegal small-scale gold mining, commonly referred to as galamsey in Ghana, has emerged as a pressing issue that undermines the country’s environment, economy and social fabric. Once regarded as a survival strategy for rural youth, galamsey has transformed into a vast, militarised enterprise deeply intertwined with political power. This has led to dire consequences, including […]
Specialised financial courts will soon be established to deal with infractions in the Auditor-General’s reports, the illegal mining (galamsey) menace and other environment-related crimes, President John Dramani Mahama has said. President Mahama said this at the end of a meeting with the Acting Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr […]
Deputy General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, has called for the immediate revocation of mining licenses held by politically exposed individuals involved in galamsey operations. Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on October 13, Dr Otoo revealed that some politically connected figures from both the governing and opposition parties are […]
The once-proud Bonsawere railway line, a relic of the country’s colonial-era transport network, now lies in a sorrowful state. Known as the Western Railway Corridor in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, it’s tracks are now rusted, buried under heaps of sand and gravel from years of illegal mining activities, galamsey. Sections of the line have caved in, […]
A devastating mining pit collapse at Kasotie in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region has claimed at least five lives, leaving several others injured. The incident occurred on October 1, 2025, at about 4:30 p.m., when an abandoned mining pit caved in, trapping between 16 and 20 people engaged in illegal mining operations. […]
