Illegality by design: Galamsey as a structural outcome of neoliberal mining regimes in Ghana

Illegal mining, or galamsey, poses a major obstacle to Ghana's sustainable growth. While poverty and the desire for quick wealth are often cited as the main causes, they don't fully explain why galamsey persists, especially given Ghana's long mining history. Drawing on David Harvey’s concept of Accumulation by Dispossession, this article examines how neoliberal reforms from the 1980s and 1990s interact with existing factors to deepen galamsey issues. The analysis suggests that neoliberal policies, combined with institutional failure, corruption, local political favouritism, and fluctuating global gold prices, have intensified galamsey activities. These elements have created three interconnected mechanisms: prioritizing large-scale mining companies, which leads to displacement and the loss of farmland; centralizing mining revenues; and, collectively, restricting community development resources and increasing economic hardship. As a result, local communities turn to illegal mining to gain access to the benefits of mining outside formal regulation. This research highlights the systemic effects of neoliberalism on Ghana’s mining sector and advocates policy reforms to address the deep-seated problems it causes.