GALAMSEY(ILLEGAL MINING) 1

INTRODUCTION

A galamsey is a local Ghanaian term which means illegal small-scale gold mining in Ghana such workers are known as galamseyers. Galamseyers are people who perform illegal gold mining independent of mining companies, digging small working (pits and tunnels ) by hand.

BRIEF

Galamseyers can dig only to a limited depth and are smaller than commercial mining companies. Under Ghanaian law, it is illegal for galamseyers to dig on land granted to mining companies as concessions. Most galamseyers find gold in free metallic dust form or they process sulphide gold ore using liquid mercury.
The number of galamseyers in Ghana is unknown, but it is believed to range from 30,000 to 60,000. They mostly operate in the southern part of Ghana where there are substantial reserves of gold deposits, usually within the environs of the larger mining companies. As a group, they are economically disadvantaged; their settlements are usually poorer than neighboring agricultural villages. They have high rates of accidents