Erastus! Asare! Donkor! Those three words (names) are perhaps the most synonymous with the fight against illegal mining, aka, ‘galamsey’.
He is not only an award-winning investigative journalist but an authority on the subject.
In this exclusive interview with B&FT’s Ebenezer Chike Adjei Njoku and Nvame’s Makafui Aikins, Mr. Donkor who has dedicated years to uncovering the environmental and health impacts of galamsey, shares his insights on government responses, the role of the media, and the personal risks he has faced in his strides towards uncovering this pervasive issue.
B&FT, NVAME: Your investigative work has extensively covered the impact of galamsey. What inspired you to focus on this issue?
ERASTUS: My team and I initially worked on ‘Destruction for Gold’, which documented the massive environmental devastation caused by illegal mining. However, while on the ground, we discovered something even more alarming—people were falling sick due to toxic exposure. That led us to the creation of the documentary ‘Poison for Gold’, where we investigated the health impacts of illegal mining. The scale of destruction, both environmental and human, was shocking, and we knew we had to keep pushing for change.
B&FT, NVAME: What were some of the most disturbing health-related findings from your investigation?
ERASTUS: One of the most unsettling discoveries was how heavy metal poisoning from mercury, cyanide, and arsenic was affecting unborn babies. Leading pathologist, Professor Paul Poku Sampene Ossei found high levels of these toxic substances in the placenta of mothers in mining-affected areas. Some babies were born with six fingers, six toes, malformed heads, and other severe deformities.
We also interviewed illegal miners suffering from kidney failure and neurological disorders due to mercury poisoning. One miner had as high as 100 micrograms per decilitre of mercury in his blood, causing severe swelling, and tremors. In Konongo and Odumasi, miners were dying from silicosis, a lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to mining dust.
B&FT, NVAME: What does this mean for the wider Ghanaian population?
ERASTUS: It means that no one is safe—we each are at serious risk. Illegal mining causes serious public health and wellness crises. Heavy metals in water sources affect not just miners but entire communities, and the nation at large. Many people drink water contaminated with mercury and arsenic, unaware of the long-term consequences. Farmers can no longer grow food along polluted rivers, and fishermen are struggling due to declining fish populations. This means that not only is our health directly at risk, but also our source of sustenance—agriculture and food production
B&FT, NVAME: Your work has sparked national conversations on galamsey. Have you seen any concrete government action as a result?
ERASTUS: Yes, but there is still a lot more room for improvement. However, our reports have, among others, led to the establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), Operation Vanguard, and Operation HALT. These efforts have led to crackdowns on illegal miners, but enforcement has been inconsistent.
For example, in the Atewa and Aowin forest reserves, where mining operations were destroying globally significant biodiversity, our reports forced the government to intervene and halt destruction in some areas. But the problem persists because illegal miners keep returning.
B&FT, NVAME: Do you believe the government is serious about ending galamsey?
ERASTUS: The government takes action only when public pressure is high. Our investigations have kept illegal mining on the national agenda, but the level of enforcement we need is still missing. Some politicians and security personnel are notoriously complicit, protecting and partaking in these illicit mining operations instead of undertaking their constitutionally mandated duties of shutting them down. Until we tackle the corruption fuelling galamsey, it will be difficult to see lasting change.
B&FT, NVAME: Has public awareness improved?
ERASTUS: Absolutely! When we first started reporting, many communities did not realise that illegal mining was poisoning their water and food supply. Today, more people are getting tested for heavy metal poisoning. Some women have stopped working in mines after learning that toxic exposure causes serious harm to the health and wellbeing of their unborn children.
However, awareness alone is not enough—we need action.
B&FT, NVAME: Your reports have made you a target. Can you describe some of the risks you and your team have faced?
ERASTUS: The risks are enormous. In 2020-2021, my team and I were detained in a forest by armed military officers while reporting on illegal mining. Our vehicle was vandalised, and my driver was physically assaulted.
Before the 2024 elections, we were abducted and severely beaten by illegal miners. Some of my colleagues now suffer health issues such as hearing and vision impairments due to that attack.
Even now, I receive daily threats; and security officials advise me, every now and then, to leave the country whenever there is intelligence on potential risk to my safety. I have to move in disguise and remain cautious about my movements.
B&FT, NVAME: Given these threats, why do you continue this work?
ERASTUS: Simply because stopping would mean galamsey wins. Our work has helped preserve forests, protect rivers, safeguard public health, and push for policy changes. If we stop, public discourse dies down, and illegal miners operate unchecked. And ultimately it is the people of Ghana who lose—public health would fall into perpetual crises.
B&FT, NVAME: How can the media contribute more effectively to the fight against galamsey, thereby protecting public health?
ERASTUS: The media must stop treating illegal mining as just another isolated crime story, instead of the national crisis that it is. There should be a national media strategy where every major outlet dedicates consistent airtime to exposing the effects of galamsey. The Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) must see to this happening.
It shocks me that over 60 percent of Ghana’s major rivers are poisoned, yet this matter of illegal mining is not a daily headline. We should have weekly investigative reports, panel discussions, and social media campaigns to keep the issue alive.
B&FT, NVAME: Some media houses argue that they have financial constraints. How do you respond to that?
ERASTUS: That is a weak excuse. The Multimedia Group, for instance, has consistently covered galamsey, and our documentaries generate millions of views online. There is an appreciable level of commercial value in such investigative and purposeful journalism if it is done right—if done truthfully. This is because Ghanaians, in varying degrees, know what the issues are. Hence, they naturally gravitate towards media houses which set out to uncover the truth and effect real change.
Even if airtime is limited, media houses can use social media to sustain awareness. The reality is, if galamsey continues, these media houses will, themselves, suffer the consequences. For example, there will be an endemic loss of productivity due to the public health issues, emanating from galamsey, suffered by employees.
B&FT, NVAME: What are the main reasons galamsey continues despite government interventions?
ERASTUS: Several factors keep illegal mining alive:
- Political Protection: Some politicians benefit from galamsey and ensure that enforcement efforts remain weak.
- Corruption: Security personnel often take bribes to look the other way or even protect illegal mining operations.
- Economic Desperation: Many people see galamsey as their only livelihood, even though it destroys the very land and water they depend on.
- Weak Law Enforcement: Miners are arrested but are quickly released or return to mining elsewhere.
- Corporate Silence: Many businesses—being entities which directly influence national economic growth—avoid taking a stand because they fear political backlash. Corporate and organisational voices are, all over the world, very powerful. They have such an immense ability of impacting change. Hence, corporations must never keep mute on such national issues.
B&FT, NVAME: What needs to change for Ghana to truly eliminate galamsey?
ERASTUS: The fight against illegal mining must become a national movement. This means:
- Stronger laws and harsher penalties for illegal mining operations.
- Zero tolerance for corruption among politicians and security forces.
- Sustained media pressure to keep the issue in the spotlight.
- Private sector involvement, where businesses—small-scale mining entities inclusive— actively support anti-galamsey campaigns.
- Public education, so that more communities reject illegal mining instead of supporting it.
B&FT, NVAME: The government has launched multiple anti-galamsey initiatives, such as Operation Halt and Operation Vanguard, yet illegal mining persists. What are the main reasons behind this failure?
ERASTUS: The biggest factors are corruption, political interference, greed, and abuse of power. As noted, many government officials are directly or indirectly involved in illegal mining, which makes enforcement almost impossible.
For example, some miners follow the legal process and apply for mining licenses. They wait for years, spending huge sums of money, but their licenses are deliberately delayed. Meanwhile, politically connected individuals go behind them and start mining illegally in the same locations. This has happened in the Apamprama and Tano Anwia Forest Reserves.
It is impossible for a private individual or entity to bring heavy machinery like excavators into a forest reserve without political backing. Forestry Commission guards and other regulatory bodies turn a blind eye when powerful people are involved. This happened under the previous administration, and it is still happening now. We are earnestly looking forward to the present government impacting true and lasting change—as promised the Ghanaian people.
B&FT, NVAME: You are saying that the government is sabotaging its own anti-galamsey efforts?
ERASTUS: Absolutely. Many of these politicians who set up these task forces also control them, deciding which mining sites to shut down and which ones to protect.
There are places where enforcement teams cannot touch illegal miners because of political influence. It’s like the government is sitting in a bucket and trying to lift itself up—it is an impossible task.
Until there is real political will, and government officials stop micromanaging these initiatives, illegal mining will never end. And note this, we are not pursuing this fight with a fatalistic mentality. We truly believe that change is possible. And we, the people of Ghana, will forever be grateful to that government that brings about this change.
B&FT, NVAME: You also mentioned regulatory failures. How do institutions like the Minerals Commission positively or negatively impact this issue?
ERASTUS: The Minerals Commission, Water Resources Commission, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been weakened by political control. Many of their leaders are appointed based on political loyalty rather than competence.
These agencies often lack resources and the political backing to enforce the law. For example:
- Some miners have licenses for one location but operate in a completely different area.
- Miners extract gold just a few meters from major rivers, even though the buffer zone policy prohibits it.
The Minerals Commission claims it lacks the resources to monitor licensed mining sites, allowing violations to go unchecked.
If regulatory agencies are controlled by the same political figures who profit from illegal mining, how can they effectively regulate the industry?
B&FT, NVAME: Is there a clear distinction between small-scale legal miners and illegal miners?
ERASTUS: In theory, small-scale mining is legal, but in practice, many licensed small-scale miners break the law.
One of the biggest issues is the infiltration of Chinese nationals into small-scale mining. By law, small-scale mining is reserved for Ghanaians only, but when you visit mining sites, you would see Chinese miners operating excavators, managing workers, and controlling operations.
How does this happen? On paper, the license belongs to a Ghanaian, but in reality, the operation is controlled by Chinese investors. This is a complete violation of Ghanaian law, but it continues because of corruption.
I challenge the Minerals Commission to show me one small-scale mining operation that fully follows the law—because I have not seen any. An unwavering enforcement mechanism is urgently needed to sanitise this sub-segment—small-scale mining.
B&FT, NVAME: You have suggested that Ghana should adopt best practices from countries like the United States. What specific policies should we implement?
ERASTUS: There are several things Ghana can learn from the U.S., particularly from Arizona’s copper mining industry.
- Transparent Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) – In the U.S., mining companies must submit detailed EIAs before they receive a license. The public can review and challenge these assessments before mining begins. In Ghana, EIAs are either ignored or hidden from the public, meaning communities don’t know how mining will affect them.
- Public Participation in Licensing – In the U.S., mining companies must publicly disclose their plans, allowing citizens and civil society groups to object if necessary. In Ghana, licenses are granted in secrecy, and communities only realise mining is happening when bulldozers arrive.
- Independent Enforcement and Surveillance – In the U.S., mining operations are monitored by independent agencies that conduct regular aerial surveillance. In Ghana, we have no such independent oversight, allowing miners to violate regulations without consequences.
- Mandatory Reclamation Funds – In the U.S., mining companies must deposit money for land restoration before receiving a license. If the company fails to restore the land, the government uses the deposited funds to do it. In Ghana, miners abandon destroyed lands, leaving behind pits filled with toxic chemicals.
If we implemented these policies, we could significantly reduce illegal mining and its devastating effects.
B&FT, NVAME: Do you think civil society is doing enough to fight galamsey?
ERASTUS: Civil society groups are starting to mobilise, but more needs to be done. Religious organisations like the Catholic Church have protested against galamsey, which is a good sign.
The biggest challenge is public ignorance. Many communities don’t understand the long-term consequences of illegal mining—notably to their health and wellness. In the past, they supported miners because of short-term economic benefits. Now, more people are realising that:
- Their drinking water is contaminated with mercury and arsenic.
- Their farms are becoming infertile due to pollution.
- Galamsey poses a serious public health crisis. For example, babies are being born with deformities caused by heavy metal poisoning.
The more we educate the public, the more pressure we can put on the government to take real action. Because our health and wellbeing cannot wait—it must not be compromised.
B&FT, NVAME: Your work has gained international attention. How has this influenced the fight against galamsey?
ERASTUS: Several major media outlets—including CNN, Al Jazeera, and CGTN—have come to Ghana to cover the galamsey crisis because of our investigations.
This global attention has pressured the government to act more aggressively. International scientists are also conducting research on the health impacts of illegal mining, which will provide more data to support the fight—and such similar fights all across the globe.
But ultimately, change must come from within Ghana. If we rely solely on international pressure, nothing will truly improve.
B&FT, NVAME: What message do you have for Ghanaians about this crisis?
ERASTUS: Illegal mining is an existential threat to our environment, economy, and future generations.
If we continue at this rate, in 10 years, Ghana will face the worsening of these public health and wellness crises. They include:
- Severe water shortages due to polluted rivers.
- Increased food insecurity as farmlands become infertile.
- A public health crisis with rising cases of cancer, kidney disease, and neurological disorders from mercury poisoning.
The fight against galamsey is not just a government issue—it is a fight for survival. Every Ghanaian must demand change and hold leaders accountable—for our health and wellness’ sake. This is not just my fight—it is OUR fight. The moment we stop talking about it, the problem gets worse.
We must all do our part to preserve the health and wellbeing of present and future Ghanaians.
