The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) has criticized President John Mahama’s position on illegal mining, saying his remarks during a media encounter failed to inspire confidence in the fight against what it calls “unprecedented environmental terrorism.”
This follows comment by the President during the September 10 media encounter where he stated that he would not rush into declaring a state of emergency on galamsey, stressing it should remain a last resort.
He argued that existing laws already empower state agencies to arrest offenders, seize equipment, and protect forest reserves.
GCAG, however, said the President’s stance downplays the urgency of the crisis, citing pollution of over 60 percent of Ghana’s water bodies, displacement of farmers, and destruction of forest reserves.
It warned that government’s approach could worsen public health, threaten cocoa exports, and deepen the environmental disaster.
The Coalition also rejected Mahama’s decision to withdraw police from anti-galamsey operations, dismissing his claim that officers cannot distinguish legal from illegal miners. It insisted security personnel had been “fearless” and had achieved results.
On the President’s call for alternative livelihoods before a crackdown, GCAG argued that such a position emboldens illegality.
The group further reminded him that as opposition leader, he once supported a state of emergency to tackle galamsey.
“Finally, we disagree entirely with the President on the position of government regarding calls for a targeted state of emergency, as the circumstances that prevailed when he joined civil society to demand a state of emergency before his election as President have not improved; in fact, some of the indices have worsened.”
Pointing to the closure of the Kwanyarko Water Treatment Plant due to extreme turbidity, the Coalition said government’s handling of the crisis was “a disappointment to us all.”
“The MD of GWCL reported the turbidity of the water at the Kwanyarko Water Treatment Plant to have hit 32,000 NTU, and on the day the President was speaking, the Central Regional Minister had endorsed the closure of the plant. This government’s handling of the galamsey crisis is a disappointment to us all; this government is failing us.”
