President John Dramani Mahama has clarified that he never said his government would declare a state of emergency to deal with illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking during a town hall meeting with members of the Ghanaian community in New York on Friday, September 25, the President said a state of emergency remains an option available to government but should only be considered when other measures have proved inadequate.
“They said I said a state of emergency. I never ever said that. I never ever said I’ll declare a state of emergency,” President Mahama said.
Mahama explains his position
The President explained that emergency powers can be useful when dealing with serious national challenges, but they are generally intended to address specific crises for a limited period.
He questioned whether declaring a state of emergency would be the most practical approach to Ghana’s galamsey problem, given that illegal mining activities are spread across several parts of the country.
According to him, such powers are more effective when applied to a clearly defined area, allowing government and security agencies to concentrate resources there until the problem is brought under control.
He said the measure could then be lifted once the situation had been addressed.
Government relying on targeted operations
President Mahama said government already has the legal authority needed to take action against illegal mining and is using targeted operations in areas identified as major galamsey hotspots.
He maintained that the government’s approach is focused on dealing with the problem at specific locations rather than immediately resorting to a nationwide state of emergency.
The President also acknowledged the difficulty of tackling illegal mining, particularly because of its spread across different regions and communities.
Nine forest reserves cleared, Mahama says
As part of the government’s ongoing efforts, President Mahama said nine forest reserves affected by illegal mining had been cleared of illegal miners.
He explained that government had also changed its approach to preventing illegal miners from returning after security operations.
According to the President, the military would previously clear affected areas and hand them back to forest guards, only for illegal miners to return after the soldiers had left.
He said the government is now maintaining military camps in some reclaimed forest reserves to provide a continued security presence and prevent renewed encroachment.
Focus also on Ghana’s rivers
President Mahama further highlighted government’s efforts to tackle illegal mining on Ghana’s water bodies.
He said water guards had been deployed and that operations had been carried out against illegal mining equipment, including changfan machines operating on the Ankobra River.
However, he noted that dealing with illegal mining on the main river alone would not be enough, because several tributaries also feed into the river.
The President said government would therefore need to broaden its interventions to cover the tributaries and other areas contributing to the problem.
State of emergency remains a last resort
While ruling out any claim that he had announced plans to declare a state of emergency, President Mahama stressed that emergency powers remain available to government if circumstances warrant their use.
His comments come amid renewed public debate over how aggressively government should respond to the continuing impact of illegal mining on Ghana’s forests, rivers and communities.
For now, the administration says it is pursuing targeted enforcement operations, security deployments and measures aimed at preventing illegal miners from returning to reclaimed areas.
Source: ModernGhana
