Development Discourse with Amos Safo: Bleeding from illegal mining (galamsey)

Over the past few weeks, I have watched videos and photos from an aerial view of the major mining communities in Ashanti, East, Western and Western-North Regions, and the only painful conclusion I arrived at was that Ghana is bleeding seriously from illegal mining.

After watching the videos several times, I was strongly convinced that there is overwhelming evidence that warrants a state of emergency over illegal mining to stop the carnage on our forests and water resources.

The circulation of videos and photos of our degraded rivers and forests on social media was in response to the claim by the Minister of Government Communications, Mr. Felix Ofosu Kwakye’s that there is no evidence to affirm that illegal mining had gotten worse under this government.

Mr Kwakye’s denial of the destructive and devastating effects of illegal mining on our ecosystem is tantamount to the dereliction of duty by a government that was elected to protect us and our natural endowments.

It is not for nothing that governments are elected and given the mandate to protect lives and property. That is why every government controls the security and coercive powers of the state on behalf of the people.

That is why it is a crime for any group or individual to own a private army or police. That is why when President John Mahama was in opposition and frantically needed to win power he rightly blamed illegal mining and its effects on then President Akufo-Addo.

Resignation

In one of his distinctive speeches on illegal mining during the 2024 elections, candidate Mahama stated, “If we were in serious country, he (referring to Akufo-Addo) would have resigned by now; he put his presidency on the line because now his own people have been found to be those behind illegal mining. All their party executives have mining concessions, and they are doing illegal mining in forest reserves. It is a pity, they are close to him and that is why he cannot deal with it”, he claimed.

Similarly, a member of President Mahama’s campaign team and now minister of Communication, Mr. Sam George became popular for what appears to be his unwavering rhetorics against illegal mining. In one notable message, which was recently circulated on social media, Mr. George described galamsey (illegal mining) as Ghana’s drug trade. “There are cartels involved.

These cartels have politicians, chiefs and security personnel involved. Our government is complicit and would not do anything about it. Nana Addo bears the ultimate responsibility”, he pointed out. He explained that then President Akufo-Addo had the power to arrest and deal with everyone involved in illegal mining. “I don’t care what party they belong, they are wicked criminals, dealt with them, he commanded. He added, “but alas! Nana Addo cannot, he is complicit, and a beneficiary.”   In 2024, Sam George helped in challenging President Akufo-Addo to declare a state of emergency in all mining sites across the country.

Face value

On the face value, President Mahama and Sam George were right in blaming President Akufo-Addo and his government’s failure to end illegal mining. This is because every President and his government have the executive powers to deal with any social, economic and political issue affecting Ghanaians. As fate will have it, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lost the election because of their inaction on illegal mining.

On January 7, 2025, Ghanaians gave executive powers to President Mahama and Sam George to do what Akufo-Addo and his government failed to do. Sadly, however, they are swiftly distancing themselves from declaring a state of emergency as they advocated in 2024.

With nine months into President Mahama’s final four-year tenure, stopping illegal mining is no longer a priority.  If President Mahama and his communicators challenged Akufo-Addo to resign in 2024, is anything different now? Does their silence connote the assumption that their government and party top men and women are oiling the illegal mining machines?

Illegal mining and gold exports

In response to a question on illegal mining during his recent encounter with journalists, President Mahama said illegal mining is contributing significantly to Ghana’s increasing gold exports. Impliedly there is no urgent need to stop illegal mining or declare a state of emergency, once the menace is contributing to gold exports.

He also justified his inaction on the notion that people have the right to engage in illegal mining because of high unemployment in Ghana. I thought President Mahama promised Ghanaians that his 24-Hour Economy policy would create more jobs for the youth, who will run shifts.

It is strange, but not entirely surprising that President Mahama and his government have taken a 360-degree turnaround from their advocacy for a state of emergency in 2024. Some environmental analysts have suggested that the current state of illegal mining and its negative effects on our rivers and forests is worse than what pertained between 2020 and 2024.

Experts say the tepidity (level of pollution) of water has risen to 60 percent from 20 in 2024. In fact, the Ghana Water Company has complained severally about the level of water pollution, which is making it impossible for them to treat the water for domestic consumption. Pictures of the terribly polluted water at the Kwanyanko water treatment centre confirms concerns over the rising tepidity of our dams and rivers.

Ample evidence

In the face of ample evidence of the destruction of forests and the pollution of rivers and dams, Mr Felix Ofuso Kwakye is still looking for evidence.  Along the major roads of the mining communities, excavators are seen digging deep into the ground and diverting water bodies from their courses 24 hours.

There are open pits dotted everywhere, even near bridges, people’s houses and police stations. Worse still, some illegal miners have dug so close to high tension electricity paillons, which is threatening energy supply.  In fact, River Pra, Birim River and River Offin are nothing other than dead rivers; yet the Government Communications Minister says he needs evidence. Ghana is practically and evidentially under siege.

What is more, last week Joy News published pictures of hundreds of excavators being imported and expressly cleared at Tema Harbour. According to the report, about 200 excavators are cleared every month at the harbour.

Not surprisingly, the government and its agencies are unable to track the final destinations of the excavators. Once the excavators are not seen undertaking any road construction, it is possible that they are being used in illegal mining to further destroy whatever is left of our environment.

Judging from the videos and photos circulating on social media, there is more than enough evidence for President Mahama to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining. He needs to act decisively to save our lives and those of generations yet unborn.

Food pollution

A study in 2024 found that Ghana’s illegal mining has led to severe environmental damage (deforestation, soil degradation, and widespread water pollution from mercury). Illegal mining is also threatening food security by destroying farmlands, polluting irrigation water, and causing public health crises.

Earlier in 2025, a research on illegal mining in Ghana was conducted by University of Ghana through its Anti-galamsey Project,  and the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) for its “Galamsey Revisited” Public Forum.

The study which covered Ashanti Region, Eastern Region, Western Region and Western-North, discovered higher levels of mercury and other harmful chemicals in cassava, plantain and cocoyam leaves. It warned those who love eating fufu (a common food made of cassava and platain) and kontomire stew ( made from cocoyam leaves) could be ingesting chemicals.

Furthermore, some medical personnel at both the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital have confirmed the rising cases of kidney and liver diseases in the mining areas. They have also confirmed increasing cases of birth defects on new babies born in the mining communities. What additional evidence does the government need to declare a state of emergency over illegal mining.

Lack of political will

With the executive powers available to President Mahama, I do not think he needs any stakeholder consultation before acting. Just as President Mahama indicated that the responsibility stopped with President Akufo-Addo to declare a state of emergency, so it is with him today who is occupying the Presidential seat. Nothing has changed.

In fact, I think President Mahama even has more powers today than Akufo-Addo because his government controls more than two-thirds of the members of parliament to make any legislation to combat illegal mining. Parliament has a constitutional mandate to make laws on almost everything, if only the executive initiates any bill. What is lacking is the political will by President Mahama, just as he accused Akufo-Addo of lacking the same political will in 2024.

Why are the clergy so quiet?

In the heat of the 2024 elections, various pressure groups, especially the Christian Associations vehemently condemned the Akufo-Addo administration for lacking the political will to combat illegal mining. The Catholic Bishops Conference, the Christian Counsel, the Ghana Charismatic and Pentecostal Council and other prominent Bishops and Reverend ministers rightly voiced their concerns over the rampant and irresponsible destruction of our rivers and forests.

As the most powerful institutional in the world, which was ordained by God, the Church has a moral responsibility to speak against corruption, injustice, institutional failure and abuse office. It is when the church becomes selective in its condemnation of wrong doing that gives cause for worry. One of the most vociferous Bishops, who condemned illegal mining in 2024 was Bishop Charles Agyinasare of the Perez Chapple. He rightly carried the campaign against illegal mining to the pulpit, where he criticized the government of President Akufo-for failuring to combat illegal mining. In his advocacy against illegal mining, he was reported to have presented a video which depicted the ‘mad rush for gold in Ghana.” That was probably done to turn public opinion against the previous government within a few months to the election.

However, a review of the video by some analysts revealed that it was from the Democratic Republic of Congo and had nothing to do with Ghana. The problem I have with Bishop Agyinasare, the Catholic Bishops Conference, the Christian Council, the Ghana Peace Council and the Pentecostal and Charismatic Council is that what was wrong yesterday, is equally wrong today. Illegal mining is a social and economic canker which is destroying our country for the benefit of a few. Today it is wrong, as it was yesterday.  let us hear the powerful voice of the Church on the environmental menace and its threats to our survival. Long Live Ghana.