The state gas company warns that galamsey activity near pipelines in the Western and Ashanti regions could damage infrastructure and disrupt electricity supply.
Illegal mining has moved uncomfortably close to one of Ghana's most sensitive pieces of energy infrastructure. The Ghana National Gas Company Limited (Ghana Gas), the state firm that processes and transports natural gas for power generation, says illegal miners are digging beneath its pipelines, particularly in the Western and Ashanti regions.
The warning came from Mr Maxwell Kwame Kelly, General Manager in charge of Engineering and Maintenance at Ghana Gas, in comments reported by the Ghanaian Times.
What the company is warning about
Mr Kelly said the miners, widely known in Ghana as galamseyers, are increasingly encroaching on pipeline routes. His concern is not only the immediate safety risk of excavation around pressurised gas lines, but what would follow if a line were actually damaged.
Repairs to that kind of infrastructure, he said, can take months rather than days. In the meantime, the gas that feeds thermal power plants would not reach them.
"Galamsey is not only damaging our environment, it is threatening energy production as well," Mr Kelly said.
Why gas matters for the lights
For readers who do not follow the energy sector closely, the link is direct. A large share of Ghana's electricity is produced by thermal plants that burn natural gas. Ghana Gas pipelines are the channel through which that fuel moves from processing facilities to the generating stations.
If a section of pipeline is cut, cracked or weakened by digging underneath it, the plants downstream lose their fuel. That is why Mr Kelly framed galamsey as an energy problem and not only an environmental one. Ghanaians already know what gaps in generation feel like, and extended repair timelines would make any disruption harder to manage.
The regions named
The Western Region is central to Ghana's oil and gas industry, hosting the infrastructure that brings offshore gas onshore for processing. The Ashanti Region sits along the inland corridor that carries gas further north. Both regions are also known for heavy small-scale and illegal mining activity, which is where the two interests collide.
What happens next
Ghana Gas has not, in the reported comments, announced specific enforcement measures, arrests or a timeline for action. Mr Kelly's remarks were a call for urgency, warning that the situation requires attention before a pipeline is actually breached.
For Ghanaians abroad who track power reliability at home, whether for family, property or business reasons, this is a risk worth watching. Pipeline damage is slow and expensive to fix, and the cost does not stay with the company that owns the line. It lands on households and businesses that depend on steady electricity.
