Decoding the persistence of galamsey in Ghana: The meta-contradictions of neutered law

Abstract

Background: There is a lack of consensus on the appropriate regime for socio-political regulations regarding galamsey. In this context, people with unrestrained pecuniary ambitions defy or evade laws enacted to curb galamsey, thereby rendering them neutered even  when violently enforced.

Objectives: This study aimed to demonstrate that the failure of the Government of Ghana to curtail galamsey is due to the clash of ethnic
group customs and national laws, thereby generating a meta-contradiction of governance principles in galamsey enclaves.

Methods: The study was framed by the notion of the contact zone, namely the coexistence of different principles of socio-political  regulation. Areas with galamsey are unstable contact zones of anomie, and those without them are stable synonymic contact zones. The  study was qualitative ethnographic research based on primary data generated from individual interviews and focused group discussions  with respondents recruited through a chain-link strategy in the communities of Akyem Asunafo and Akyem Kwabeng in the Eastern  Region of Ghana.

Results: Akyem Kwabeng demonstrated the trait of an unstable anomic contact zone with its relatively weak customary  norms. It was a galamsey enclave with a destroyed ecology. This study also used secondary information on Tanchara in the  Upper West Region. Akyem Asunafo is found to be a stable synonymic contact zone, upholds traditional principles of governance, has no  galamsey, and its ecology is pristine. Conversely, Tanchara, an unstable contact zone, used its customary norms to stem galamsey and  protect its environment.

Conclusions: It will be prudent for the GoG to acknowledge the superior eco-regulatory capacity of chiefs and  norms of traditional ecogovernance and facilitate the conclusion of Green Social Contracts (GSCs) rooted in customary principles of  ecological governance in galamsey enclaves.