President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his administration’s strong commitment to ending the menace of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, across the country.
He emphasised that the government values the advocacy and constructive pressure from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), which he described as essential in sustaining the national campaign against illegal mining.
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“We need your criticism. We need your advocacy. We need your pressure. Continue to put our feet to the fire because that will encourage us to also continue to work harder,” the President stated.
President Mahama made the remarks during an engagement with CSOs on combating galamsey at the Presidency in Accra.
He urged stakeholders to combine advocacy with innovation, saying:
“Let’s fight illegal mining, but at the same time, let’s bring in new technologies that allow us to protect our environment.”
Addressing calls for him to declare a state of emergency on galamsey, President Mahama said he would only take that action on the advice of the National Security Council.
“I have the power to declare a state of emergency, but I act on the advice of the National Security Council. They believe that we can win this fight without it. However, the day they advise me otherwise, I will not hesitate to declare one,” he said.
He added that the government continues to deploy more troops and allocate more resources to the fight, expressing optimism that these efforts would yield positive results over time.
“As we deploy more troops and apply more resources to the fight, I’m sure that gradually we’ll begin to see that we’re winning,” he noted.
President Mahama stressed that the dialogue with CSOs would be ongoing and transparent:
“We’re going to continue to update you. We need your support. We’ll do this transparently — we have nothing to hide. I don’t gain anything from galamsey, and I have no interest in it continuing.”
He reaffirmed his determination to hold ministries and agencies accountable, ensuring the protection of Ghana’s natural resources for future generations.
“Our great-grandfathers handed us a beautiful country with forests, trees, and rivers. We should not hand over poisoned rivers and desecrated forests to our children and grandchildren. I believe we’ll win the fight against galamsey,” he concluded.
