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Vol 66 No 25

Published 19th December 2025


Ghana

Gold, power and the price of control

Surging markets, a sweeping audit and deepening conflict are reshaping the battle for mining’s spoils – behind the boom lies a scramble for influence

A far-reaching audit of large mining companies, launched last month, has rattled Ghana’s booming gold sector. Some had expected stricter controls on taxes and royalties but questioned these would be enforced. Now they know it’s getting serious. The audit coincides with mounting public anger over environmental devastation – rampant deforestation, the destruction of cocoa farms and severe water table pollution – caused by the poorly regulated small-scale, or galamsey, mining sector. Some industry insiders suggest officials may be deflecting attention from the politically sensitive galamsey crisis, which successive governments have failed to contain.

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