Declare state of emergency in galamsey areas, revoke L.I. 2462 – GCAG demands

The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) is urging the government to immediately declare a state of emergency in areas heavily impacted by illegal mining, also known as galamsey, citing escalating insecurity and environmental destruction.

The call comes in response to what the group describes as government inaction despite repeated warnings and rising threats in mining communities.

GCAG, in a statement on Thursday, June 19, highlighted the near-fatal attack on the Administrator of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF) Dr. Hannah Bissiw on June 5, 2025, during an anti-galamsey mission in Bui Sobinso, as evidence of worsening lawlessness.

Ashigbey warned that galamsey-prone areas have essentially become training grounds for mercenaries and criminal elements that now pose a direct threat to national security and democratic stability.

“We Demand a State of Emergency in the Required Areas Now! The recent near-fatal attack on Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw following an illegal mining raid at Bui Sobinso, as reported widely in the media on June 5, 2025, by armed thugs, is not an isolated incident. It is a symptom of a lawless epidemic within the mining zones. Gun-wielding gangs now operate with terrifying boldness, and if this government does not act decisively, no one is safe. This justifies our long-standing demand for a state of emergency in critical mining zones, enforced by military presence, drone surveillance, and asset freezes, to propose a few strategies.”

“Illegal mining areas, in our estimation, appear to have become training grounds for mercenaries that threaten the national security and stability of our democracy. So, a state of emergency will empower the security forces to nip this emerging national security threat in the bud. If this is not done urgently, the repercussions will be dire.”

GCAG has also called on the government revoke Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves, as promised during the 22024 election campaign.

The group argues that the instrument has paved the way for large-scale environmental degradation and threatens vital ecosystems and water bodies.

“The government made a solemn vow to the people of Ghana: L.I. 2462, the legal instrument that opened our forest reserves to mining, would be revoked, not amended, but scrapped
entirely. This was communicated through several public declarations by His Excellency the President himself, before and after the 2024 elections, and echoed by government officials,
including the Minister of State for Government Communications, the Minister of Communications, and the CEO of Goldbod, on April 23, 2025. We are therefore disappointed that, although the promise was that the process to revoke the LI 2462 will begin immediately, Parliament resumes. However, to the best of our knowledge and belief, there is no order of business of Parliament capturing this critical item.”

However, GCAG expressed disappointment that no concrete steps have been taken in Parliament to fulfil that promise.

“Our demand for the revocation of LI 2462 still stands to safeguard Ghana’s forest estates and the ecosystem services they provide for generations to come. We will
not accept an amendment that responds to the interests of certain individuals, not taking into account the interests of the nation. The LI 2462 must be revoked and with urgency. If the
President does not act, the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 will mature and come into effect today.”

GCAG maintains that if immediate action is not taken, civil society groups will be left with no option but to pursue the matter through the courts.

The group insists that both the environmental and security implications of illegal mining have reached emergency levels that can no longer be ignored.