Multi-Stakeholder Governance in Ghana: A Polycentric Path to Sustainable Environmental Development

The sustainable management of natural resources has become a global priority. Yet in Ghana, illegal mining (“galamsey”) continues to escalate, causing severe degradation of forests, water bodies, and other ecosystems. This paper examined two core objectives: analyzing the systemic challenges faced by environmental law enforcement agencies in Ghana, and evaluating the extent to which the coordination among these agencies aligns with principles of polycentric governance. The research draws on qualitative data from interviews with 19 participants, including institutional heads and environmental-governance experts, and two focus-group discussions comprising 14 representatives from various enforcement bodies. The findings indicate that the effectiveness of these institutions is significantly undermined by a range of systemic challenges, including inadequate resources, limited institutional capacity resulting from limited training to address evolving environmental crimes, and political and other external interferences. The findings also indicate a lack of robust inter-agency coordination among enforcement agencies. The findings suggest that polycentric governance systems can foster superior coordination, whereas fragmented or overly centralized systems tend to perform poorly. The study recommends enacting laws to improve coordination among environmental enforcement agencies, modeled on Ghana’s Regional and District Security Councils (REGSEC/DISEC).