Coalition Against Illegal Mining Convener Expresses Deep Disappointment Over Lackluster Anti-Galamsey Progress One Year After Tragic Helicopter Crash
One year after a devastating military helicopter crash claimed the lives of eight public servants and military personnel on an official mission to launch an anti-illegal mining initiative, anti-galamsey advocate Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey has criticized the nation’s slow progress, declaring that Ghana has failed to adequately honor their supreme sacrifice.
The fatal crash, which occurred on August 6, 2025, in the Ashanti Region, claimed the lives of Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and six others as they traveled to Obuasi for the official launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme.
Speaking during a national broadcast marking the first anniversary of the disaster, Dr. Ashigbey, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines and Convener of the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey, expressed profound disappointment over the government’s enforcement efforts and the continued degradation of water bodies across the country.
“If you look at our fight against galamsey, we cannot say that we have honoured these eight people as well as we ought to,” Dr. Ashigbey stated. “I remember saying right after the crash that this tragedy was going to result in a drastic shift in the galamsey fight, but unfortunately, very little has changed on the ground.”
Dr. Ashigbey highlighted the stark disparity between official promises of institutional reform made following the accident and the actual legal consequences faced by financiers of illegal mining operations.
“It is deeply troubling that only one galamsey kingpin has been successfully prosecuted and convicted so far, while others continue to operate with impunity,” Dr. Ashigbey emphasized. “The turbidity levels of our rivers and water bodies remain alarmingly high, proving that we have simply not done enough to honor the memory of the eight heroes.”
The Convener urged the public, civil society organizations, and state regulators to demand genuine accountability and hold politically exposed individuals connected to illegal mining accountable, rather than settling for symbolic tributes.
“We must transform our national grief into uncompromising action,” Dr. Ashigbey urged. “We should not just weep during anniversaries and let things return to business as usual. The only true way to immortalize these fallen patriots is to end the destruction of our land, enforce our laws without fear or favor, and win this fight once and for all.”
As memorial services concluded across the country, anti-galamsey campaigners renewed calls for the immediate enforcement of strict mining regulations, heavy prosecution of environmental offenders, and the swift restoration of polluted water basins.
