Nigerian musician Mr Eazi has revealed that he was once involved in illegal small-scale mining, commonly known as galamsey, during his time in Ghana.
Speaking in an interview on Glitch Africa on April 19, 2026, the artist disclosed that he exited the activity after realising it violated local laws and could lead to imprisonment.
“Aside from doing all my businesses, it turns out that the business I was doing was for foreigners. It was illegal and I didn’t want to go to jail,” he said.
Foreign participation restricted
Mr Eazi explained that his role involved trading gold within Ghana’s small-scale mining sector—an area legally reserved for Ghanaian nationals.
“I wasn’t selling drugs or doing Yahoo. I was selling gold, but it’s for the small-scale mining lands. The small scale is for locals,” he clarified.
Under Ghanaian law, foreign nationals are prohibited from engaging in small-scale mining, a regulation aimed at protecting local participation and curbing illegal mining activities.
Decision to leave Ghana
The “Leg Over” hitmaker said he chose to step away from the business after weighing the risks.
“If I continue doing this thing and I get arrested, I’m going to go to jail. That’s not fun,” he noted.
He subsequently returned to Nigeria with plans to raise capital through family support in order to re-enter the mining sector legally. However, that plan did not materialise.
“I decided to move to Nigeria and look for which of my uncles was going to give me money so that I could go back to Ghana and continue the mining… then I ended up a musician,” he added.
His revelation sheds light on the broader issue of illegal mining in Ghana and the legal restrictions surrounding foreign involvement in the sector.
