The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) has voiced its profound disappointment with President John Dramani Mahama’s recent remarks on the nation’s illegal mining crisis, commonly known as “galamsey.” The coalition, representing a broad cross-section of Ghanaian society, criticized the President’s address at the Presidential Media Encounter, stating it failed to reflect the necessary urgency and gravity of the environmental threat.
The GCAG in a statement issued in Accra on Thursday, September 11, 2025, argues that the President’s position downplays the severe consequences of galamsey. The coalition highlighted the widespread devastation, including the pollution of over 60% of Ghana’s water bodies with heavy metals, the displacement of countless farmers, and the irreversible destruction of vital forest reserves.
The coalition specifically challenged the President’s decision to withdraw police forces, dismissing his claim that officers cannot differentiate between legal and illegal miners as “misplaced.” The GCAG asserted that the police had, despite imperfections, been fearless and effective in bringing the situation under control.
The coalition also questioned the President’s assertion that alternatives must be provided for miners before enforcement, calling this approach a justification that emboldens illegal activities. They argue that this stance is not the leadership expected from a country facing what they term “environmental suicide,” marked by contaminated cocoa exports and rising health crises.
The GCAG expressed its fundamental disagreement with the government’s refusal to declare a targeted state of emergency. The coalition pointed out that the environmental conditions have worsened since President Mahama, then a member of the opposition, joined civil society in advocating for such a measure.
In support of this claim, the statement referenced a recent report from the Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), which noted that the turbidity of water at the Kwanyarko Water Treatment Plant had reached an alarming 32,000 NTU, a level so high that the Central Regional Minister, Ekow Panyin Okyere Eduamoah endorsed the plant’s closure on the day of the President’s address.
The coalition concluded that the government’s overall handling of the galamsey crisis is a “disappointment” and a failure. In response, the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey has announced a comprehensive media briefing for Monday, September 15, 2025, at the International Press Center, where it will further detail its concerns and proposed solutions.
About the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey
The GCAG is a united front of organizations dedicated to combating illegal mining. It brings together a diverse network of groups from ten key sectors, including the media, labor unions, religious bodies, academia, and professional associations.
The coalition’s mission is to provide a common platform for advocacy and social action, focusing on all mining offenses under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), based on the constitutional principle that any unratified mining activity is illegal.
Story By: Eric Boateng /Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
