Former Minister of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam
Former Minister of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, has admitted that eliminating illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, will be an uphill task for any government due to its deep economic and social entrenchment.
Speaking on NPPLive+ on April 27, 2025, during a panel discussion themed “NDC Galamsey Fight U-turn: Hypocrisy or Fan-Fooling?”, Dr. Amin Adam underscored the scale of the galamsey industry and the economic implications of any attempt to dismantle it.
“According to research, one million people are directly involved in galamsey. When you add their families and dependents, the numbers are even higher. It is a huge economy, so dismantling it is going to be a difficult task for any government,” he explained.
Dr Amin Adam revealed that in 2023, Ghana’s gold exports totaled approximately $7 billion, with galamsey accounting for about 30% of that figure, equivalent to $2.1 billion.
In 2024, the country’s gold export earnings surged by 53%, reaching $11 billion, meaning the share from galamsey could be as much as $3.3 billion.
“To put it in perspective, we went to the IMF for a $3 billion facility to be disbursed over three years. Compare that to the $3.3 billion coming from galamsey in just one year. That tells you the economic scale we are dealing with.”
He cautioned against politicising the fight against illegal mining, stating that doing so only complicates efforts further.
“It is not going to be easy for any government to dismantle galamsey. Therefore, we have to be very careful, particularly when we relate it to politics,” he warned.
“When you relate it to politics, it becomes even more difficult.”
AM/
Meanwhile, watch GhanaWeb’s tour of Odweanoma Paragliding Field below: