As pressure mounts on President John Mahama’s government to act swiftly in curbing the increasing illegal mining (galamsey), especially in the forest reserves and along water bodies, Hon Cadman Atta Mills has added his voice.
The Member of Parliament of the ruling NDC party and brother of the late President Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills, criticised the government’s handling of illegal mining activities, indicating that the human and environmental costs of the activity cannot be justified by the recent recovery of the Cedi.
His remarks come after President John Dramani Mahama stated during a media encounter, a fortnight ago, that he was exploring all available alternatives in the fight against galamsey before considering the option of declaring a state of emergency.
The president’s pronouncement has drawn reactions from civil society organisations, the opposition New Patriotic Party, and concerned individuals, including Mr. Mills.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Cadman Mills wrote: “I refuse to pay for the accolades President Mahama and the NDC is receiving for the cedi’s recovery with my health or life. Call it galamsey or ‘legal’ small-scale mining (when bankrolled by the politically connected). It is killing us. #StopGalamseyNow”
His comments add to the growing chorus of voices urging the government to intensify its crackdown on illegal mining, which has been blamed for widespread environmental destruction and serious health risks.
He argued that whether described as galamsey or “legal” small-scale mining operations, backed by politically connected financiers, the destructive impact remains the same.
“It is killing us,” he stressed, pointing to the widespread pollution of rivers, degradation of farmlands, and the rising health risks confronting communities.
Consequently, strongly backed by the leader of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), Captain Nana Kweku Owusu Domme, the Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has indicated that the ministry is working on the President’s directive to permanently establish military bases to deploy security forces along the Ankobra River as part of a decisive war against illegal mining (galamsey).
This follows a high-level inspection of the river last week, which journeyed by canoe from Gwira Wiaso to Gwira Akango, and discovered widespread devastation: cocoa farms converted into illegal mining hubs, makeshift buildings in a galamsey hub called Chinese town along the riverbanks, and hundreds of abandoned chanfans and pumps choking the waterway. The Ankobra River, once clear, now runs thick and milky brown.
The minister, visibly shaken, declared illegal mining on the river a “war on the country”. He warned miners to vacate or face the full force of the law.
“If this is not war, then I don’t see anything. We will not relent. We will not stop. We will fight until this water is restored,” he said.
“That is why we are working with the President’s directive to permanently deploy the military and security forces along our river bodies.”
“This cannot be solved by one-off raids. We need to actually come and establish a base here to hold the ground. Some of these miners know we just come, conduct operations, and withdraw. Coming to stay here will be best. Then they will know we have come to stay.”
The minister also revealed that the government will revise regulations to extend the 100-metre buffer zone along rivers to one kilometre. Officials say the move will remove any legal cover for miners discharging chemicals into water bodies.
Meanwhile, to beat home the urgent need for government’s decisive action, the Convenor of FixTheCountry, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has announced that the movement will hold a vigil on Sunday, September 21, at Revolution Square in Accra, to protest the ongoing environmental destruction caused by illegal mining (galamsey).
He disclosed the plan in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, 15 September 2025, stressing the urgent need for collective action to protect Ghana’s environment.
In his post, Barker-Vormawor framed the fight against galamsey as a moral and spiritual obligation. “The responsibility to protect and preserve the environment is by divine assignment, ours as a people,” he wrote, adding that the issue transcends electoral politics.
“Our responsibility to end galamsey does not end at elections. Nor does it begin after our party loses one. This is bigger than petty politics,” he stated.
The Convenor also revealed that the vigil would be followed by a public march on Monday, 22 September, a national holiday, to further draw attention to what he described as an “environmental crisis of urgent proportions.”
He called on citizens from all walks of life to participate and demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding the nation’s natural resources.
In reaction to the recent uproar and calls on the government to be decisive in the illegal mining fight, the Minister in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has clarified that President John Dramani Mahama never set a deadline for ending illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Contributing to a radio discussion, Mr Kwakye Ofosu stressed that assessments of the President’s performance must be based on his own words and actions.
“To be fair, if you want to assess a president, you will have to take him by his own words and actions, the commitments that he made. President Mahama did not give any timelines to ending galamsey,” he said.
He explained that the President, during his recent media encounter, acknowledged the complexity of the issue and made it clear that illegal mining could not be eradicated instantly.
“He said at the media encounter that he was not under any illusion that by the wave of a magic wand, galamsey will end because it is an insidious problem,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu added.
The minister reaffirmed that the government remains committed to implementing sustainable interventions, including law enforcement and regulation, to curb the destructive practice.
“The government fully appreciates the genuine concerns people have expressed on galamsey, and these are not matters we take lightly,” he said.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu stressed that while the government has rolled out several interventions, tackling galamsey requires collective responsibility.
“We cannot pretend it is an easy fight, but what we can assure Ghanaians is that the government has not lost sight of its duty to protect lives, livelihoods and the environment,” he noted.
Consequently, he called on the public to support ongoing interventions and resist political interference in efforts to clamp down on the illegal activity.
“We must all rally behind the measures being implemented. The survival of our water bodies and farmlands cannot be compromised,” the communications minister added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Lands and Natural Resources Committee, Akwasi Konadu, has asserted that President Mahama is unable to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining because Ghana’s economy is heavily dependent on gold revenue.
President John Mahama at his media encounter in Accra on Wednesday, September 10, stressed that his administration would not rush into declaring a state of emergency over galamsey, insisting such a drastic measure must remain a last resort.
While acknowledging the growing public clamour for tougher action, the President maintained that existing laws already empower the state to act decisively.
“I’ve been reluctant to implement a state of emergency in the galamsey fight because we’ve not exhausted the powers we even have without a state of emergency,” he said.
However, Mr Konadu, contributing to a radio discussion said the President’s comments during his media engagement on Wednesday only confirmed that his government lacks the political will to halt galamsey.
“To declare a state of emergency does not necessarily mean that you’re putting soldiers on the road and making sure that they fire at people as we’ve seen in Manso Tontokrom and the rest where Assembly members and individuals have been shot at. But it requires that you are putting a total halt on that. The President’s response is very shameful, and I find it that he’s never going to be able to do that,” he explained.
He argued that President Mahama’s own words betrayed the reason behind his reluctance. According to him, the President has openly admitted that Ghana’s economy is being sustained by gold exports, making it politically impossible for him to stop illegal mining.
“Because when he was asked, from the trajectory from where he came from, it meant that currently the economy is being sustained by gold and the sale of gold by the country. Because when he met the Bishops Conference, he told them that we must also be prepared to sacrifice. When we do that, the economy is going to help. Yesterday he reiterated that point and made the point that the high levels at which we are seeing small scale illegal activities is as a result of the high gold prices and he cited the example of Peru which I thought was very unnecessary on his part,” Mr Konadu said.
The Manhyia North MP insisted that Ghana needs urgent action to halt environmental destruction, not excuses based on gold prices or international comparisons.
