The Executive Director of the Centre for Extractives and Development, Samuel Osei Bekoe, has revealed that over three million people are involved in illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey in Ghana, making it a much larger issue than many have viewed it.

Speaking on the Joy News AM Show today, Tuesday, February 25, he highlighted the massive scale of the problem, saying, “Over 3 million people are actively working in illegal mining, going into the forests or "Galamsey'' areas every day"

These numbers are much higher than what literature has said, and it’s important we understand just how serious the issue is, he said.

He elaborated on the difficulty in persuading young people to abandon illegal mining, especially when alternative livelihoods don’t offer the same financial rewards.

“If these alternative livelihoods don’t provide the same income as illegal mining, it will be hard to convince the youth to stop,” he explained.

Mr Bekoe also expressed doubts about the success of current alternative livelihood programmes. “Personally, I don’t think these programmes will work as we hope,” he said.

“They may have some success, but it could be as low as 10 to 15%. We might not reach the level of success needed to fully redirect the youth away from illegal mining” he lamented.

He concluded by noting that alternative livelihoods may not be enough, adding, “With so many people involved in Galamsey, it’s unlikely these alternatives will work as well as we hope. We must find more effective solutions to address this issue.