The Galamsey menace – resistance to achieving all Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, comprising 17 SDGs, aims to address global challenges like poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation.

In Ghana, illegal small-scale mining, or "galamsey," significantly undermines these goals. While galamsey provides short-term economic benefits, it devastates the environment, disrupts food security, contaminates water sources, and worsens health conditions. It also exacerbates poverty, inequality, and gender disparities.

Tackling galamsey requires coordinated efforts across governments, civil society, and international organizations to promote sustainable practices, enforce regulations, and provide alternative livelihoods that align with the SDGs' objectives.