A new scientific study by Mensah et al. (2025), as reported by the Pan-African platform, Africa Is a Country, has exposed alarming levels of heavy metal contamination in food crops grown on illegal mining sites in Ghana, raising serious concerns about food safety and public health.
The study, conducted at Ajamesu in the Ashanti Region, found that cucumbers cultivated on a galamsey site abandoned for six years contained dangerous concentrations of mercury, cadmium, arsenic, copper and iron.
According to the researchers, regular consumption of such contaminated produce poses significant health risks including cancer, neurological disorders and developmental complications in both adults and children.
The findings point to a deeper systemic threat within Ghana’s food production chain.
Across the country, hundreds of abandoned illegal mining sites now occupy lands that once served as fertile agricultural zones.
Communities such as Nyaboo, Agogo, Odumase, Goaso and Tepa, traditionally known as food baskets are increasingly affected.
These areas produce staple vegetables including tomatoes, onions, peppers and garden eggs, which are transported to major markets in Kumasi and Accra before reaching households nationwide.
Experts warn that contamination at the source could, therefore, expose millions of Ghanaians to toxic food.
Scientists explain that crops grown on polluted soils absorb heavy metals directly, while the use of contaminated water for irrigation further spreads toxins into otherwise unaffected areas. Without proper soil remediation, these lands remain unsafe for agricultural use.
At the centre of the crisis is the method used in illegal gold mining.
In many galamsey communities, miners process gold using mercury and other hazardous substances, drawing water directly from nearby rivers.
The resulting waste, laden with toxic metals, is discharged into the environment either seeping into the soil or flowing into major water bodies.
Separate reports cited by Africa Is a Country, including findings by journalist Anthony Labruto, indicate that as of September 2024, nearly 60 percent of Ghana’s water bodies had been polluted due to galamsey activities.
Major rivers such as the Birim, Tano, Densu, Subin and Pra have all been affected, threatening water supply for thousands of communities.
Unlike regulated large-scale mining companies that treat their waste, illegal miners operate without safeguards, causing long-term environmental damage to land, water and biodiversity.
Public health experts warn that the threat may extend beyond immediate mining zones.
Toxic particles released into the environment can return to the ground through rainfall, effectively spreading contamination across wider areas. Given Ghana’s dependence on rain-fed agriculture, this raises the risk of nationwide food contamination.
The long-term consequences are profound. Continuous exposure to heavy metals has been linked to genetic and epigenetic changes, increasing the likelihood of birth defects, neurological disorders and chronic diseases in future generations.
Environmental analysts say the situation is evolving into a national food security crisis.
Ghana’s food systems are already under pressure from climate change, urbanisation and land degradation.
Illegal mining is now compounding these challenges by destroying arable land and contaminating both crops and aquatic food sources.
Despite mounting evidence and repeated anti-galamsey protests in recent years, critics argue that the response from state institutions has been inadequate.
Key agencies, including the Ghana Water Company, Forestry Commission and Environmental Protection Agency, have yet to classify the situation as a national emergency.
Policy concerns have also been raised over Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves under certain conditions, including presidential approval in ecologically sensitive areas.
On the ground, the impact is already being felt.
Environmental experts report that farmlands in parts of Bono, Ashanti, and the Western Region have been lost to mining activities. In some cases, farmers have been forced off their lands; in others, economic hardship has driven them to sell.
This has disrupted the cultivation of staple crops such as cassava, cocoyam, and beans, affecting food availability and prices. Farmers also report declining yields, even in areas not directly mined, due to soil degradation and polluted irrigation sources.
Fishing communities are equally affected. Fishermen in areas such as Shama in the Western Region report dwindling catches and declining fish diversity, largely attributed to water pollution.
Experts warn that the cumulative effect of these trends could undermine Ghana’s entire food system if urgent action is not taken.
What is emerging is a dangerous chain of contamination—linking polluted water to degraded soils, unsafe food, and long-term health risks.
Galamsey, once seen primarily as an environmental issue, is now a growing public health and food security crisis—one that demands urgent, science-based intervention.
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