Pressure Mounts On Mahama To Declare State Of Emergency Over Galamsey

The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) has renewed the call on President John Dramani Mahama to declare a state of emergency over the heavy pollution of water bodies by illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey.

The coalition stressed the need for the government to immediately deploy the military to clear everyone found mining on water bodies since that illegal act posed an existential threat to citizens.

A statement signed and issued yesterday by the Convenor of the GCAG, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, said all planned and active mining concessions overlapping river buffers should be abrogated.

“And all mining activities within 100 metres buffer of all rivers and streams should be halted immediately by the President, failure of which the President must implement the full force of Act 995 without fear or favour of political colour and status in society,” it added.

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The coalition emphasised that since almost all water bodies take their sources from the forest reserves, all entry permits given to mine in protected Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs) must also be abrogated.

 

Context

In 2017, the previous government declared war on galamsey and deployed joint operations by the security agencies to weed out recalcitrant illegal miners. The former President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, put his presidency on the line by pledging to fight and win the galamsey war.

Despite committing millions of cedis to various interventions aimed at stemming the tide, illegal mining activities escalated, especially in the last quarter of 2024.

In September 2024, the GCAG, made up of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, labour organisations, civil society groups, business groups, academia, professional bodies, faith-based organisations and youth groups, among others, demanded immediate action to halt the galamsey scourge.

Among other demands, the coalition called on the President to declare a state of emergency on galamsey and also take steps to halt all forms of mining activities in the small-scale mining sector.

In the heat of the brouhaha, the government suspended the operationalisation of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2022 (L.I. 2462), which gave the President the leeway to grant permission for mining to take place in forest reserves.

The spirited advocacy by the coalition also led to the introduction of enhanced measures, including deploying 100 military officers to protect selected water bodies and enforcing the arrest of illegal miners.

The GCAG also succeeded in getting eight of the presidential candidates in the 2024 general election, including the current president, to sign a document pledging to fight galamsey.

The coalition said it was worrying that galamsey was assuming alarming proportions, with no concrete steps to tackle the menace.

Dr Ashigbey said the GCAG had observed that the perpetrators of galamsey had exploited leadership and governmental silence on the matter to destroy the environment with impunity.

“The tragic incidents at Ntrotroso and Obuasi a few days back — whatever will be the outcome of an official independent investigation called by President Mahama which we fully support — are a timely reminder that this problem is an explosive threat to national security and cohesion,” the GCAG stated.

While acknowledging the government’s intentions to address galamsey in its first 120-day agenda, the coalition was deeply concerned about the pace of action.

“We have formally written to the President, urging for an immediate cease-and-desist order to all illegal miners and regulatory bodies,” the coalition added.

The GCAG said the decisive measure it had proposed was crucial to demonstrate the government’s commitment to combating the illegal mining menace and protecting the environment, “especially as comprehensive strategies are being developed.”

 

Advocacy

The coalition gave a firm assurance that it would launch additional advocacy initiatives in the coming weeks to push for proactive steps to stem the tide.

“We urge all Ghanaians and political leaders to remain steadfast in this fight. The urgency of addressing this issue now is greater than ever,” it added.

The coalition said it was open for discussion to resolve the issue of illegal and irresponsible mining.

 

 

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