As gold price soar past $3,300 an ounce, Ghana’s largest gold mines are becoming flashpoints in a growing conflict between industrial operations and wildcat miners. At Gold Fields’ Tarkwa Mine, located in the lush forests of southwestern Ghana, high-tech drones now patrol the skies in a relentless cat-and-mouse game aimed at protecting company assets and deterring illegal mining.
One recent afternoon, a drone spotted suspicious activity. Within 20 minutes, a 15-person rapid response team arrived, discovering freshly dug trenches, mercury and cyanide contamination, and makeshift equipment left behind by intruders. The team seized water pumps and a “chanfan” processor used for illicit gold extraction.
“If you don’t have eyes in the air, you won’t know something destructive is happening,” said Edwin Asare, Head of Protection Services at Tarkwa. “You first get eyes in the sky to put boots on the ground.”
Rising Prices, Rising Risks
According to mining executives and experts interviewed by Reuters, gold’s surge is attracting more illegal activity, intensifying clashes between artisanal miners and multinational operators across West Africa. Nearly 20 wildcat miners have died in confrontations since late 2024, including incidents at Newmont, AngloGold Ashanti, and Nordgold sites in Ghana, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.
In January, nine miners were killed after breaching the fence at AngloGold’s Obuasi mine. A similar invasion occurred at the company’s Siguiri mine in Guinea in February. Elsewhere, three illegal miners were shot at Newmont’s Ahafo site, and operations at multiple mines have been disrupted for weeks at a time.
Millions Rely on Unregulated Mining
While dangerous and often illegal, unofficial mining supports an estimated 10 million people across sub-Saharan Africa. In West Africa alone, between 3–5 million rely on the sector, producing up to 30% of the region’s gold, according to UN data.
For Famanson Keita, 52, in Senegal’s gold-rich Kedougou region, mining has long been part of the local economy. “When companies came, they promised jobs and development,” he said. “Instead, many of our young people are doing low-paid, unstable jobs. Farming alone can’t sustain us.”
But the sector has grown far beyond traditional methods. Many illicit operations now use industrial-scale equipment, often backed by organized criminal groups and foreign investors, including actors from China. In Mali, excavator operators report a surge in Chinese-funded sites expanding operations aggressively in 2025.
Ghana Loses Gold to Smuggling
Between 2019 and 2023, Ghana lost over 229 metric tons of gold—mostly from artisanal sources—to international smuggling, according to Swissaid. “Because of porous borders and weak enforcement, the majority of their produce is smuggled,” said Marc Ummel, a Swissaid researcher.
Much of the illegal mining occurs in protected areas and rivers, polluting water sources and competing directly with corporate ore extraction. “Artisanal miners are digging 100 meters deep and impacting our ore body,” said Adama Soro, president of the West African Federation of Chambers of Mines. “We’re losing money.”
Military Protection and Tech Investment
In response, mining companies across Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Mali are demanding greater military protection, with some asking governments to deploy armed personnel at high-risk sites. Ghana’s Chamber of Mines confirmed an April meeting with government officials produced “positive” results.
However, companies are being asked to foot the bill. Deployment costs run to 250,000 Ghana cedis ($18,116) per day for each unit of fewer than 50 soldiers, according to two executives involved in the negotiations.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s Minerals Commission is turning to artificial intelligence to strengthen enforcement. A new control center powered by AI is monitoring feeds from 28 drones patrolling illegal mining hotspots. The system also tracks excavators and can remotely disable machines operating in unauthorized areas.
“This is a fight we can win with technology,” said Sylvester Akpah, a consultant on the drone and AI surveillance initiative. “But only if full deployment is allowed.”
Outlook: $5,000 Gold May Fuel More Violence
With geopolitical instability and rising central bank gold reserves possibly driving prices toward $5,000 an ounce, analysts warn the violence may worsen.
“The higher the gold price, the greater the tension,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
As tensions escalate, West Africa’s gold-rich regions are rapidly becoming battlegrounds—not only over economic opportunity but also over control, survival, and sovereignty.
