Biopolitical governmentality and galamsey industry in Ghana

The unregulated nature of illegal small-scale gold mining (locally known as galamsey) in Ghana takes on greater complexity with environmental catastrophe. This paper extends Foucault’s analysis of biopolitical intervention and biopower complementarity to problematize the limits of galamsey phenomenon by moving beyond simply criminalizing and demonizing it. The intersection of biopower and biopolitics offered by Michel Foucault provokes critical reflection in discussions of galamsey governance in Ghana. It is argued that it may be helpful to examine the controversies about galamsey phenomenon as a symptom of deeper issues related to the complex interplay between state power, economic forces, the environment, and their implications for sustainable development. Lack of regulatory regimes by the state remain a Sisyphean task in addressing galamsey in ensuring sustainable mining futures. The paper claims that the phenomenon of galamsey invites us to overcome the Foucauldian orthodoxy and to seek other ways for achieving ecological sustainability that necessitates empowering governance.