The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) has accused President John Mahama of failing to inspire confidence in the nation’s fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
In a strongly worded statement following the President’s September 10 media encounter at Jubilee House, GCAG said his comments “did not convey the urgency required” to confront the environmental devastation caused by galamsey.
According to the coalition, the President’s posture downplayed the crisis, despite evidence that over 60% of Ghana’s waterbodies are polluted with heavy metals, farmlands have been destroyed, and forest reserves severely depleted.
The group criticised the President’s decision to withdraw police forces from anti-galamsay operations, saying it undermines progress made by the security agencies. “The IGP’s men, though not perfect, were fearless and had brought the situation under control,” the statement read, adding that the Presidency had failed to point to a single small-scale mining firm operating responsibly on the ground.
GCAG also dismissed the President’s argument that alternatives must be created before illegal miners are chased from sites. “Such reasoning only justifies and emboldens illegality,” the group warned. It further described the stance as dangerous for a nation already facing “environmental suicide, contaminated cocoa exports, and rising health crises.”
On government’s refusal to declare a state of emergency, the coalition expressed sharp disagreement. They cited worsening conditions, including reports from the Ghana Water Company Limited of unsafe turbidity levels at the Kwanyarko Water Treatment Plant, which recently had to be shut down.
“The circumstances have not improved since the President himself once joined civil society to demand a state of emergency on galamsey. In fact, some indices have worsened,” the group argued.
Labeling the government’s approach a “failure,” GCAG said the crisis remains one of the most pressing national threats. The statement concluded: “This government’s handling of the galamsey crisis is a disappointment to us all; this government is failing us.”
The coalition has scheduled a comprehensive media briefing on Monday, September 15, 2025, at the International Press Center to outline its next steps.
