In the mining town of Ayanfuri in Ghana’s Central Region, the sound of excavators tearing into the earth has become a daily reality. But for one family, the search for gold has moved beyond forests and rivers and into their own home.
For Moses Akomaning Agyapong and his family, illegal mining is no longer a distant environmental problem. It is happening just metres from their house.
A massive pit now dominates part of their one acre property, carved into the land by illegal miners locally known as galamseyers. The excavation sits dangerously close to the family’s home and threatens their safety and livelihood.
“I never imagined that people would come and dig for gold inside my own land,” said Diana Agyapong, the wife of the landowner, standing beside the deep crater left behind by the miners.
The family purchased the land in 1995 and has since used it for farming while constructing a house on part of the property. But today the farmland is scarred by deep trenches and loose soil left behind by heavy machinery.
Residents say the illegal mining operation is being carried out by a group allegedly led by a man identified as Agya Yaw, who has reportedly assembled a team of mostly young men to mine gold openly in the community.
When our news team visited the site on Thursday, April 17, 2025, workers were seen actively digging on the property while an excavator stood parked on the land.
A large unfinished building belonging to the Agyapong family had already been demolished by the miners.
“They just came and started digging,” Mrs. Agyapong said. “When I confronted them, they said the landowner had given them permission to mine here.”
But the family insists they never approved any mining activity on their land.
“They are destroying our land, our crops and our future,” she said.
Growing danger for residents
The excavation has already become a safety hazard for the surrounding community.
The deep pit sits close to residential buildings and farmlands, raising fears that children or unsuspecting residents could fall into it.
“This place is now dangerous,” said a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity. “If nothing is done, someone could lose their life.”
Illegal mining has long been a major environmental challenge in Ghana, where unregulated gold extraction has destroyed forests, polluted rivers and degraded farmland across several regions.
But residents say the situation in Ayanfuri shows how the problem is increasingly creeping into residential communities.
Beyond the physical danger, the destruction of farmland is also threatening livelihoods.
“We used to grow crops here,” Mrs. Agyapong explained. “Now the land is destroyed.”
Allegations of protection
Some residents claim the miners operate with protection from armed guards.
“They have security men guarding them while they work,” one resident alleged.
Others believe the miners are able to continue their activities because of political connections.
“Agya Yaw is politically connected and reportedly has security officials in his pocket,” the resident claimed.
Unresolved land dispute
The Agyapong family believes the situation may also be linked to a long standing dispute with Perseus Mining Ghana Limited, a multinational mining company operating in the area.
According to Mrs. Agyapong, the company placed “Stop Work” notices on several buildings in Ayanfuri in 2012, claiming the land fell within its concession.
Four years later in 2016, the company reportedly resettled several affected households but not the Agyapong family.
“The compensation they offered was too small, so we rejected it,” she said.
She believes the unresolved dispute has left their land vulnerable to illegal miners.
Plea for intervention
Now the family is appealing to security agencies to intervene before the damage becomes irreversible.
“We are begging the authorities to stop them,” Mrs. Agyapong said. “If this continues, we will lose everything.”
For many residents of Ayanfuri, the incident reflects the growing tension between Ghana’s gold wealth and the need to protect communities and the environment.
As excavators continue to dig into the Agyapong family’s land, the battle against illegal mining has become deeply personal.
For this family, it is no longer just about protecting the environment.
It is about saving their home.
Story By Dennis Ato Keelson
