Galamsey destroys 3km of Takoradi–Nsuta rail line; government faces $18m repair bill

Illegal mining has destroyed about three kilometres of an active railway line connecting Takoradi to Nsuta in Ghana’s Western Region, forcing the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRCL) to suspend its manganese haulage and other operations.

Company officials told the Daily Graphic that the damage, discovered on 1 October near Akyem in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, has left the tracks hanging over deep pits dug by miners and other sections buried under sand.

Repairs 

The destruction affects a section of the 60-kilometre stretch that serves as a critical route for transporting manganese from the Nsuta mines to the Takoradi Port.

“This is not just about maintenance anymore — the cost of fixing the damage has quadrupled,” said Emmanuel Aggudey, Deputy Chief Civil Engineer of the GRCL.

“The activities of the illegal miners have completely halted our manganese haulage operations, one of our major sources of revenue.”

Aggudey said initial assessments suggest repairs could cost at least $18 million.

He added that the company had earlier suspended operations in January to undertake maintenance works and seek government support for new locomotives and track repairs, but illegal miners took advantage of the downtime to encroach on the railway’s right of way.

Officials helpless?

Local sources said that the miners acquired land from traditional authorities who have allegedly supported the operations.

The miners reportedly use a destructive method known locally as “one leg”, which combines high-pressure water pumps and hoses to wash earth loosened by excavators.

“The community leaders promised to prevent the miners from going near the rail lines and to reclaim degraded areas, but that never happened,” Aggudey said.

“As we speak, mining is still ongoing — day and night — with total impunity.”

Officials say the damage not only threatens Ghana’s rail infrastructure but also compounds GRCL’s financial challenges, as the company already struggles to pay workers’ salaries.

Illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, has long plagued Ghana’s resource-rich regions, causing widespread environmental destruction and threatening critical national infrastructure.