BY Nadia Ntiamoah
Mounting tensions in Ghana’s small-scale mining sector have reached a boiling point as licensed miners across several regions accuse a rogue taskforce of illegal operations, extortion, and violence.
The licensed small-scale miners are demanding urgent intervention from President John Dramani Mahama following growing reports of a powerful but unauthorized anti-galamsey taskforce wreaking havoc across mining communities.
The miners are calling for a full-scale presidential probe into the group’s activities, which they say are threatening both their livelihoods and the government’s efforts to sanitize the mining sector.
According to the miners, this unofficial taskforce is made up of individuals claiming political and security backing.
They allegedly operate parallel to the officially sanctioned National Anti-Galamsey Taskforce, yet wield undue influence, often resorting to violent tactics to harass, extort, and destroy the property of legitimate operators.
Recent events in the Western Region brought this issue to national attention.
Tensions flared when the illegal taskforce reportedly clashed with the government’s recognized National Anti-Galamsey Taskforce in what nearly became a full-blown confrontation.
The situation was defused only after the intervention of Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, who ordered the government taskforce to withdraw.
Disturbingly, eyewitnesses report that the illegal group blocked the national team’s route to Accra and demanded their surrender — an act viewed as both insubordination and a direct challenge to state authority.
The standoff persisted for several hours before calm was restored.
Victimized miners recount multiple incidents of abuse.
Several say their machines have been confiscated or destroyed, and in one instance, a brand-new SUV belonging to a licensed operator was reportedly vandalized.
These actions have sparked widespread fear and anger among licensed miners who believe their operations are being undermined by criminal elements posing as enforcers of the law.
The Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners and the Ghana Concerned Small Scale Miners, in back-to-back press conferences held within a week, expressed deep frustration over the worsening situation.
Both groups condemned the illegal taskforce’s operations and demanded immediate government action to dismantle the group.
“The activities of this illegal taskforce are completely out of control. They are brutalizing our members, destroying equipment, and sabotaging government policy,” one spokesperson lamented.
“If nothing is done, this will erode all gains made in regulating the small-scale mining sector.”
Miners also revealed that in the Ashanti Region, the same taskforce has been storming licensed mining sites, engaging in intimidation and extorting large sums of money from operators.
They allege that millions of cedis have been taken under duress from miners trying to work within the legal framework.
In light of these developments, the miners are urging President Mahama to establish a high-powered committee to investigate the activities of the illegal taskforce.
They want those found responsible for these acts to be identified, prosecuted, and removed from any form of influence.
According to industry stakeholders, restoring order and accountability in the sector is essential not just for the survival of licensed small-scale miners, but also for ensuring that illegal mining – or galamsey – is effectively curbed without collateral damage to compliant operators.
