Environmental Governance in Ghana: Understanding the Persistence of Galamsey (Illegal Small-Scale Mining) Despite State Interventions

Abstract

This paper examines why galamsey (illegal small-scale mining) continues to persist in Ghana despite repeated government interventions and military crackdowns. While public discourse often presents galamsey as a problem of illegality and weak law enforcement, this study argues that the issue is rooted in deeper environmental governance challenges. Drawing on the concepts of environmental governance, institutional fragmentation, political economy, and livelihood dependence, the paper analyzes how overlapping institutional mandates, political interests, and rural economic pressures interact to sustain illegal mining activities. Using secondary data, policy documents, academic literature, and public statements from state officials, security actors, and civil society voices, the study demonstrates that fragmented governance structures create weak coordination and inconsistent enforcement, while political incentives encourage selective application of regulations. At the same time, poverty, unemployment, and limited livelihood alternatives continue to push many rural communities into illegal mining as a survival strategy. The findings suggest that enforcement-centered approaches alone are unlikely to produce sustainable outcomes because they fail to address the structural and socioeconomic conditions that sustain galamsey. The paper concludes that effective responses require stronger institutional coordination, community participation, political accountability, and the creation of viable alternative livelihoods. Ultimately, the study contributes to broader debates on environmental governance in resource-rich developing countries by showing how governance failures, political dynamics, and livelihood insecurity combine to undermine environmental regulation and sustainability efforts in Ghana.