galamsey

American  

[guh-lam-see, ga-luhm-see] / gəˈlæmˌsi, ˌgæ ləmˈsi /

noun

1. illegal gold mining in Ghana that is usually done on a small scale.

   The report suggested that galamsey has driven further environmental degradation in the region.

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Other Word Forms

• galamseyer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of galamsey

First recorded in 1980–85; dialectal abbreviation of gather them and sell

Example Sentences

Ghana is Africa's largest gold producer and the sixth largest in the world, but it is struggling to address widespread illegal gold mining, locally called "galamsey".

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2025

He also points to an upsurge in small-scale mining in the area, known locally as galamsey, that’s polluted the water.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2024

I kept waiting for him to mention "galamsey", the Ghanaian word for illegal mining, which epitomizes our destruction of the environment.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2018

Today, the mine is no longer producing gold and galamsey miners have quickly filled the void, wiping away cocoa farms in their path.

From National Geographic • Mar. 6, 2018

He’d made a fortune, apparently, from galamsey mining—diamonds in the Western Region and gold in the Northern Volta, among other things.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo