STORY: :: April 10, 2025
Buzzing through the sky over southwestern Ghana,
:: August 17, 2024
drones have become a new line of defense in West Africa’s fight against illegal gold miners.
:: April 10, 2025
Gold Fields’ Tarkwa Mine’s Head of Protection Services, Edwin Asare, believes they are a game changer for spotting potential illegal activity across the 81 square mile tract.
“The drone is a faster way and it has a faster coverage. So you could use a few minutes to fly a drone over the whole concession. But if you would want to go physically, that would mean the use of fuel and human resources and going around all the mine’.’
:: April 10, 2025
On this occasion, armed police find abandoned equipment left behind by so-called wildcat miners.
With record gold prices now sitting above $3,300 per ounce, unofficial activity on the outskirts of the continent’s official mining ventures has increased.
Dozens of mining executives and industry experts interviewed by Reuters say it is intensifying sometimes deadly confrontations between corporate concessions and artisanal miners in West Africa.
:: August 17, 2024
Almost 20 illicit miners have been killed in confrontations at major operations across the region since late 2024.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s unofficial mining operations provide critical income for nearly 10 million people, according to a May United Nations report.
:: April 10, 2025
This year, Ghanaian authorities have ransacked dozens of informal mining sites, arresting hundreds of locals and foreigners, particularly Chinese nationals.
:: April 11, 2025
Ghana’s major corporate miners have intensified their campaign for military protection at mining sites this year.
Similar requests have been made in Burkina Faso and Mali.
Here’s Michael Akafia, the President of Ghana’s Chamber of Mines.
“We’ve met with National Security — the Chamber Secretary has met with the National Security advisor and coordinators, and we’ve been trying to find the best way to address this because, you see, as a mature mining jurisdiction, the more of the galamsey (local term for illegal mining) you have, the more your industry, looking at it globally, will be challenged.”
:: April 11, 2025
Ghana’s government did not respond to requests for comment, with sources claiming authorities want the mines to cover the daily deployment costs.
:: April 13, 2025
Ghana’s mining sector regulator, the Minerals Commission, is establishing an AI-powered control room to analyze data from 28 drones deployed to illegal mining hotspots.
The system includes trackers on the excavators that can remotely disable excavators operating outside authorized boundaries.
