Ghana will require an estimated $21 billion to reclaim and restore lands degraded largely by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, and other destructive environmental activities, former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has revealed .
Delivering the keynote address at the Fourth Annual Colloquium organised by the Department of Political Science Education at the University of Education, Winneba, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng stated that approximately 10 per cent of Ghana’s total surface area, equivalent to about 23,853 square kilometres, has been degraded, leaving the country with an enormous environmental restoration bill .
“About a tenth of the surface area of Ghana is degraded, some 23,853 square kilometres. Reclaiming and restoring what has already been destroyed would cost in the order of $21 billion,” he stated .
The colloquium was held under the theme, “Politics, the Environment, and Our Future: Ghana at Crossroads?” and brought renewed attention to the escalating environmental crisis caused by illegal mining.
The Cost of a Polluted Legacy
Beyond the land, the restoration of Ghana’s polluted water bodies presents a staggering financial burden. Prof. Frimpong-Boateng disclosed that restoring the Ankobra River alone has been estimated to cost approximately $400 million . This figure excludes the cost of rehabilitating other major rivers that have been severely impacted by mining activities, including the Pra, Offin, Birim, Anum, Oda, and the Black, White and Red Volta rivers .
“The Largest Environmental Crime in Our History”
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, who chaired the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining between 2017 and 2021, did not mince words in his assessment of the crisis, describing galamsey as “the largest environmental crime in our history” . He warned that the relentless destruction of forests and water bodies is exposing mining communities to hazardous toxic substances such as mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and chromium .
Prolonged exposure to these toxins, he cautioned, poses severe health risks, including neurological damage, cancer, kidney failure, and complications during pregnancy . This dire warning is corroborated by recent health data indicating that respiratory disease cases in galamsey-affected regions have surged to 560 per 100,000 people, more than double the rate in non-affected areas .
The environmental toll is equally devastating. According to the Forestry Commission, illegal mining has destroyed nearly 9,000 hectares of Ghana’s forest reserves, with more than 5,200 hectares lost between 2021 and 2024 alone . This destruction has intensified in regions like Ashanti, Western, and Western North, leading to widespread loss of farmland, deforestation, and severe pollution of major river systems .
A Cycle of Failed Interventions
Successive governments have launched a series of interventions to curb the menace, including military operations, specialised task forces, mining bans, and alternative livelihood programmes. However, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng argued that these measures have consistently failed to produce lasting results.
“Governments often abandoned enforcement measures and institutional safeguards after announcing them,” he said . This sentiment is echoed by his previous criticisms that both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have demonstrated a lack of genuine commitment to ending the menace, with political and financial interests often overriding enforcement efforts .
A Call for a Dedicated Restoration Fund
To address the scale of the destruction, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has proposed the creation of an independently governed Environmental Restoration Fund. This fund, he argues, should be financed through a clearly defined share of mineral royalties and operate outside Ghana’s regular budget cycle to protect it from political diversion .
“A defined share of mineral royalties [should go] into a statutory Environmental Restoration Fund, independently governed, spent on river remediation and land reclamation, with site-level accounts published annually,” he proposed .
He emphasised the importance of transparency, stating: “What is not measured publicly is not governed.” . He further called for an annual State of the Environment audit to be presented to Parliament, providing verified information on water quality and environmental health to ensure accountability.
“Outside the budget cycle, because anything inside it will be raided in the second year of a hard fiscal programme. It always is,” he added .
The former minister’s warning serves as a stark reminder of the immense economic and ecological consequences of illegal mining. As Ghana grapples with the immediate social and environmental impacts of galamsey, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s proposal for a protected restoration fund highlights the urgent need for sustainable financing to repair the damage already done to the country’s ecosystems.
