Drones to detect illegal miners - Africa uses technology to support gold industry
As the afternoon sun sets over the gold mine in Tarkwa, southwestern Ghana, three men launch a drone, its cameras scanning the 210-square-kilometer green expanse.
The drone spotted something unusual, and within 20 minutes a 15-person team, including armed police, arrived at the scene. They discovered abandoned clothing, freshly dug trenches and equipment amidst pools of water contaminated with mercury and cyanide. The equipment had been left behind by informal miners, who operate on the outskirts of many of the continent’s official mining ventures, putting their health, the environment and the profits of the official mine operator at risk.
The team confiscated seven diesel-powered water pumps and a "chanfan" processing unit used to extract gold from river beds.
The high-tech game of chase is increasingly being played out as record gold prices, now above $3,300 an ounce, attract more unofficial activity, intensifying sometimes deadly confrontations between corporate concessions and artisanal miners in West Africa.
"A drone is a simpler way and has faster coverage. It can take a few minutes to fly a drone over the entire concession," explains Edwin Asare, head of mine security services at Tarkwa. "Drones and technology have been very useful in combating crime in the mine."
Almost 20 illegal miners have been killed in clashes at major mining operations across the region since late 2024. There have been no reports of injuries to official mining staff. In some cases, the clashes have caused production disruptions for up to a month, prompting companies to pressure governments for more military protection.
Informal mining operations in sub-Saharan Africa provide critical income for nearly 10 million people, according to a United Nations report in May.
In West Africa, three to five million people depend on informal mining, accounting for about 30% of gold production, other industry data show. It serves as an economic lifeline in a region with few formal employment opportunities.
Many residents grew up mining gold in their areas. Using simple, traditional methods, they earned a supplemental income until corporate miners arrived, displacing them from their communities and promising jobs and rapid development.
Ghana lost more than 229 metric tons of gold to smuggling between 2019 and 2023, according to Swissaid. The country’s mining regulator, the Minerals Commission, is taking a technological leap forward by creating an artificial intelligence-powered control room. The room analyzes data from 28 drones stationed at key points. The system includes trackers on excavators and a control system that can remotely disable equipment operating outside authorized limits.
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