In a nation where education has long been heralded as the key to a brighter future, thousands of Ghanaian graduates are now turning their backs on certificates and classrooms, venturing into the dark and dangerous pits of illegal mining—galamsey—for daily survival.
Over the past few years, the alarming rise in graduate unemployment has pushed many educated youth to the margins of desperation. With white-collar jobs in short supply and government recruitment freezes in sectors like education and health, these young people are left with few options but to join the illegal mining trade.
Kwaku Addo, a 27-year-old graduate from a polytechnic in Kumasi, now spends his days waist-deep in muddy water in the gold-rich fields of Obuasi. “I didn’t study mining,” he says, “but this is what puts food on my table. After six years of job hunting, I gave up.”
Mensah is not alone. Across the Western, Ashanti, and Eastern Regions, hundreds of degree holders are abandoning the conventional job search and diving headfirst into galamsey. While some work as diggers and washers, others with science backgrounds have carved out roles in mineral testing and machinery operations.
Local chiefs and community elders express growing concern about the trend.“We are losing our youth to the land. These are supposed to be our future leaders—now risking their lives just to survive.”
The environmental cost of this shift is devastating. Water bodies such as the Offin, Pra, and Ankobra Rivers continue to suffer from mercury contamination and siltation. Farmlands are being destroyed, and forests cleared at alarming rates. Government interventions, including military task forces and reclamation programs, have failed to stem the tide.
But for many of these young miners, galamsey is not just a job—it’s the only way out of poverty. “We’re not criminals,” says Akua Serwaa, a university graduate who now sells food at a galamsey site. “We’re just trying to survive. If there were jobs, would we be here?”
Experts warn that the growing participation of educated youth in illegal mining could normalize and entrench galamsey in Ghana’s socio-economic fabric. “We are witnessing the professionalization of illegal mining,” said Dr. Kwame Amoako, an economist at the University of Ghana. “When university graduates join the trade, it gains new layers of complexity and legitimacy.”
Policy analysts argue that the solution lies in structural reforms—not crackdowns. They advocate for large-scale investment in job creation, entrepreneurship support, and sustainable, legal small-scale mining schemes that can absorb young people meaningfully.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations acknowledges the problem but says solutions are being rolled out. “We’re working with various sectors to open up opportunities,” a spokesperson said. “But changing the tide will take time.”
Until then, the pits remain full—of gold, of mud, and of dreams deferred. For Ghana’s educated but unemployed youth, the promise of prosperity lies not in an office or lab, but in the ground beneath their feet. And for many, it’s a risk they’re now willing to take.
