Galamsey Illegal Mining Puts Takoradi–Nsuta Rail Line at Risk

Galamsey operations are wreaking havoc on Ghana’s rail infrastructure, as illegal miners have reportedly invaded and damaged a stretch of the Takoradi–Nsuta line. The disruption threatens to derail critical manganese haulage and passenger services.

The Ghana Railway Company, which relies heavily on the line to transport manganese from Nsuta to Takoradi Port, has suffered severe setbacks. Haulage operations have been grounded, plunging the company into financial distress and imperiling its ability to sustain its core functions. Local reports indicate portions of the track have been compromised by mining around and underneath the rails, with entire segments of the line hanging over pits dug by the galamseyers.

The damage is especially pronounced in the Akyem area, between Bonsawire and Nsuta in the Western Region, where young men have been seen mining directly beneath and beside the tracks. Some of the affected sections no longer rest on solid ground but straddle voids created by illicit excavation. Other portions are buried under sand deposits.

Sources inside the rail company report that the damage came to light when a local passerby alerted a district manager about the compromised sections. Preliminary assessments suggest that repairing the affected stretch could cost at least US$18 million, a burden the railway operator may struggle to bear.

The incursion by illegal miners is not new, but what has alarmed officials is the boldness and proximity of operations to both the existing narrow-gauge line and ongoing construction of a new standard-gauge rail corridor. In some instances, miners are operating even behind construction teams building the upgraded line, effectively encroaching on buffer zones that should be protected.

The problem is compounded by years of neglect and underinvestment. The rail line had already suffered frequent derailments due to poor maintenance, making it vulnerable to further damage. Past efforts by stakeholders including the Ghana Manganese Company to revive or rehabilitate the line have not succeeded in restoring full functionality.

Officials within the railway company have appealed for support from national security agencies to patrol the line and prevent further destruction. They admit that the challenge now exceeds their internal capacity and calls for a coordinated response from security services, environmental agencies, and local governance structures.

Local residents express outrage at the damage and lament the environmental damage wrought by galamsey, which they say now extends from water pollution and land degradation to the deliberate destroying of national infrastructure. Some residents allege that miners secured traditional authority approval to operate on lands that include rail right-of-way and buffer zones—raising questions about oversight and local complicity.

Observers warn that unless the situation is addressed urgently, the loss of the Takoradi–Nsuta rail line could deepen into a national crisis of infrastructure decay. Restoring it will demand significant resources, political will, and coordinated enforcement of mining laws.