The Coalition Against Galamsey (CAG) has expressed deep outrage over what it describes as the government’s continued failure to decisively confront the menace of illegal and irresponsible mining, popularly known as galamsey.
In a strongly worded statement, the CAG condemned recent remarks by President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House on September 10th, stating that his narrative seemed to justify or downplay the devastating effects of galamsey.
According to the coalition, such rhetoric risks emboldening environmental criminals and undermines years of national effort to stigmatise and discourage the practice.
“Wittingly or unwittingly, these statements seemed to support the environmental terrorism of galamsey. This is deeply unfortunate,” CAG said.
Illegal mining has already led to severe environmental destruction across Ghana:
Over 20 million Ghanaians face threats to their water supply due to polluted and destroyed rivers.
Productive farmlands for cocoa, rubber, and oil palm are being lost.
Nearly 50 forest reserves have been degraded, exposing the country to heightened climate risks.
The coalition noted with alarm that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) is considering a 280% water tariff increase—a direct cost of galamsey pollution. “This is not just a tariff hike. It is an invoice being forced upon Ghanaians for crimes we did not commit,” CAG said.
Treatment plants across the country are shutting down or operating at a bare minimum. For instance, the Bunso plant has been closed for nearly a year, while Kyebi operates at minimal capacity, and the Kwanyarko facility has recorded turbidity levels as high as 32,000 NTU, far exceeding safe limits.
Bold demands to the government
CAG insists that Ghana is “beyond the last resort” and that the President must immediately declare a State of Emergency in galamsey-endemic areas, as allowed by Article 31(9) of the Constitution.
The coalition further demands:
Timelines and milestones: The President must provide clear timelines to prove government commitment.
Accountability for local authorities: Any MCE, DCE, Police Commander, or NIB head in whose jurisdiction galamsey persists should be dismissed, investigated, and prosecuted for complicity.
Strengthen NAIMOS & Police enforcement: Allocate a portion of Goldbod’s profits and auctioned excavators to resource NAIMOS and police enforcement.
Prosecution of galamsey kingpins: Expedite cases involving politically exposed persons, financiers, and directors of companies implicated in illegal mining, including Akonta Mining.
Transparency in water quality: Ghana Water Company and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency must publish monthly water safety data, including turbidity and heavy metal levels.
Excavator registration and accountability: Immediate nationwide registration of excavators, with names of owners made public.
Stronger immigration controls: Stop the influx of foreign miners and prosecute foreign nationals caught in galamsey crimes under Ghanaian law.
Fast-track C=courts: Immediately establish promised special courts to handle galamsey cases, nine months after the pledge was made.
National call to action
CAG warned that the galamsey crisis is no longer just an environmental battle but an economic and survival issue for Ghana’s future.
“If we cannot confront the galamsey crisis with bold action, then what kind of nation and people are we becoming? We will not accept a future where we cannot afford water because our leaders lacked the courage to stop those destroying it.”
The coalition urged all Ghanaians to raise their voices and demand stronger action against the galamsey menace.
