Introduction
If you tuned into the news recently, you likely caught the buzz around President John Dramani Mahama’s high-profile meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the menace of galamsey. Illegal small-scale mining has long scarred Ghana’s landscape, poisoned rivers, and disrupted communities. This latest “presidential powwow” promised something different: less political posturing, more straight talk at the Jubilee House. But the real question is, what happens after the cameras stop rolling?
A Meeting of Candour and Contradictions
The President opened with a strong declaration: he is not a beneficiary of galamsey. Yet, politics is more complicated. While he may not profit economically, his political fortunes have certainly been shaped by communities where galamsey thrives – areas that delivered significant electoral support in the last general elections. Still, Mahama’s insistence on transparency, accountability, and collective responsibility marked a welcome tone of resolve. He even suggested that a state of emergency might be on the table, pending approval by the National Security Council, though history leaves us wondering whether such approval will ever come.
Updates shared at the meeting suggested progress: arrests are being made, prosecutions are ongoing, and regulators are watching water bodies more closely. The President called for a crackdown on the financiers—the shadowy figures bankrolling illegal mining. Yet one uncomfortable question lingers: can the government credibly pursue galamsey kingpins while continuing to benefit from the sale of gold produced outside legal channels?
The Missing Roadmap
For all its symbolism, the meeting fell short on specifics. The problems outlined were not new, the data presented appeared selective, and many claims blurred the line between truth and political convenience. What was missing was not a diagnosis but a prescription. Beyond rhetoric, where is the actionable plan? Where are the timelines, milestones, and binding commitments? Without these, the fight risks becoming another cycle of well-staged conversations with little impact on the ground.
The sense of urgency that a state of emergency might have conveyed was notably absent. And the voices that matter most, the farmers whose cocoa lands have been swallowed, the families who drink from poisoned rivers, the children robbed of safe futures, were not adequately represented. The human cost of galamsey must be at the centre of any solution.
Towards a Real Roadmap
If Ghana is serious about defeating galamsey, the path forward must be clearer and bolder:
- Define Strategies and Timelines: Establish measurable milestones with strict deadlines for enforcement, reclamation, and regulation.
- Empower Civil Society Watchdogs: CSOs should not only advise but also monitor and publicly report progress with independence and teeth.
- Place Communities at the Centre: Local communities must move from being victims or spectators to decision-makers, defending both their livelihoods and their environment.
- Provide Alternatives: Skills training, green jobs, and microfinance options are essential. Without credible economic alternatives, illegal mining will always resurface.
- Confront the Financiers: Cutting off the funding networks that sustain galamsey is more effective than chasing individual miners.
- Escalate Enforcement if Needed: If destruction accelerates, a state of emergency should not be ruled out as a last resort.
The Moral Dimension: Faith and Responsibility
This fight is not only political or economic; it is moral and spiritual. Churches and faith-based groups have an urgent role to play. From the pulpit to the community, they can remind citizens that stewardship of the earth is a divine mandate. By organising clean-up drives, supporting alternative livelihoods, and pressing authorities for integrity, the Christian community can bring moral authority to a fight often clouded by corruption and complicity.
A Call Beyond Words
The President’s engagement with CSOs was an important signal, a drumbeat against complacency. But signals are not solutions. Ghana cannot afford to linger in talk shops while rivers run black and farmlands vanish. The nation’s future; its forests, its rivers, its very people, all hang in the balance.
This is the moment for boldness. Galamsey is not invincible. With clear strategies, uncompromising enforcement, viable alternatives, and moral courage, Ghana can write a different story. The time for talk has passed. The time for action—ruthless, transparent, and united—is now.
