Illegal mining: Ghana
Illegal small-scale gold mining (galamsey) is among Ghana's most acute security and environmental problems, polluting rivers, destroying farmland and stripping national resources across forest and riverine terrain far from oversight. The scale and remoteness of the sites are precisely what make them hard to police.
Extraction the state cannot see or reach
Galamsey operations spread through forest reserves and along river systems where the authorities rarely have eyes, so sites operate and pollute for months before enforcement arrives. Satellite change detection reveals new pits, turbid water and cleared ground as they appear, persistent aerial surveillance monitors active sites and remediation, and persistent aerial monitoring keeps closed sites under watch far from any road. Together they let the state see and reach extraction it otherwise cannot.
Mining that destroys water and forest at once
What distinguishes Ghana's problem is the environmental coupling: galamsey pollutes the rivers that supply drinking water and clears the forests the country is trying to protect, so the mining picture is inseparable from forest protection and water security. Shared satellite and aerial sensing therefore serves several agencies from one investment. Because the systems are non-aligned, the record of where extraction is happening and what it is destroying stays in Ghanaian hands.
How engagement works in Ghana
Unstrat engages Ghana as an independent, non-aligned prime vendor: one accountable team representing the manufacturers directly, with end-use certified systems and in-region sustainment rather than a distribution arrangement. Enforcement in mining regions usually shares sensing with forest and water protection, so a programme is scoped to serve them together. The non-aligned position keeps the resulting intelligence sovereign, not routed through a foreign supplier.
Seeing and reaching galamsey before the damage sets in
Engagement begins with a briefing on the priority mining and forest zones, the reserves and river systems where galamsey operates and pollutes long before enforcement arrives. Because satellite change detection and aerial surveillance are controlled goods, export clearances and end-use approvals are confirmed before any representation of the manufacturers is made. Capability is matched to the operators' real conditions: forest and riverine terrain far from roads, turbid water as a signature, and closed sites that must be kept under watch beyond the road network. Given the environmental coupling, a programme is scoped to serve forest and water protection alongside mining enforcement. Fielding is phased and sustained in-region so the advantage endures. Localisation arrangements are scoped per programme, subject to export controls and end-use approvals. The mission is to protect Ghana's rivers, forests and resources under national command.
Relevant capability
Adjacent priorities in Ghana
Ghana's forest reserves are a strategic natural resource under pressure from illegal logging and the encroachment of galamsey mining, both of which clear land faster than rangers can police it. The remoteness of the reserves is what lets the damage proceed unseen.
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Problem pageRelevant solutions
Ghana: security context
Ghana's priorities meet where land and sea pressures converge: countering illegal mining that scars the interior, securing its share of the Gulf of Guinea, and monitoring its borders. It is an environment where resource protection and maritime security reinforce one another.
An accountable single-channel engagement gives Ghana a coherent counterpart for that protection, action against illegal mining, Gulf of Guinea security and border monitoring. A security agency gains disciplined export-control handling, end-use certified equipment and localisation arrangements scoped per programme rather than promised in advance.
About this challenge
Unlicensed extraction strips national resources, funds armed groups and devastates the environment. Satellite change detection and persistent aerial surveillance locate illegal sites and monitor remediation, directing enforcement teams to the ground that is actually changing.
Frequently asked questions
How does satellite change detection help against galamsey?
It compares imagery over time to reveal new pits, turbid rivers and cleared ground as they appear, so authorities learn of sites while they are active rather than after the damage is done. Aerial surveillance then monitors operations and remediation. We would welcome the chance to brief your team on the priority mining and forest zones.
Can this address the water pollution galamsey causes?
Yes. Satellite sensing can flag the turbidity and land clearing that mark active sites near rivers, linking the mining picture to water security so both can be served from one investment.
Who controls the surveillance record?
Ghana does. The systems come from independent, non-aligned makers, so the picture of where extraction is happening stays national rather than dependent on a foreign feed.