IS Gold Ghana's blessing or curse?

In the narrow and deadly corner of illegal mining, referred to as 'galamsey' in my country, children as young as seven-years-old are the manual hands in the mining process. Classrooms have become empty in 'galamsey' operation areas. Teachers and opinion leaders appear helpless at stopping this trend. 'Galamsey' operations come with the attraction of money on a daily basis. Though many children are exploited by their employers, kids get introduced to the world of 'galamsey', and once they have got extra pocket money for cinemas and new shoes, find it hard to quit.
For many others, however, it has become the only means of survival. Pregnant women sweat and labour in these pits of death. Young mothers virtually live in the deadly pits, eating, bathing and nursing their young with no choice but to withstand the dangers involved.
In the process, a generational cycle of hardship, danger and vice is being set in motion.
Gold has been a blessing to the international gold mining firms. Why is it not also a blessing to the average Ghanaian, whose land remains one of the world's leading producers of gold? How has this precious metal made an impact on the life of the local Ghanaian, especially those who live in gold mining areas and are not able to get a job at mining firms?
Foreign businessmen come to mine gold with impunity. With the collusion of some Ghanaians, these men steal land, exploit labour, and leave Ghanaians stuck with the bill for the vast environmental problems that follow.
This was the main focus of my recent investigation into illegal gold mining in Ghana. Being the source of the raw product that turns hearts on the international market with any increase in the price of gold, it is a sad story that an entire generation in the continent of Africa is slipping through the cracks, threatened with an apocalyptic future.