FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TO ALL MEDIA AGENCIES

THE PRESIDENT MUST RE-DEDICATE TO THE FIGHT AGAINST THE GALAMSEY CRISIS

Accra, Monday, September 15^th, 2025: The Coalition Against Galamsey (CAG), like many of our concerned compatriots in Ghana, is outraged. Our Government’s failure to see the urgency and crisis we face from illegal and irresponsible mining is deeply distressing and disappointing.

The CAGG again reiterates our disappointment with the recent statements of the President at the Jubilee House on 10th September. Wittingly or unwittingly, these statements seemed to support the environmental terrorism and menace of galamsey. The  President’s narratives, and de facto justifications, on such a platform will only serve to give oxygen to  impunity, rolling back years of governmental messaging to make galamsey unpopular. This is deeply unfortunate and regrettable.

Prolonged tolerance of illegal and irresponsible mining has led to severe environmental damage, including the pollution and destruction of water bodies used by over 20 million people. Productive farmlands for crops like cocoa, rubber, and oil palm are being lost, and farmers report a lack of available land. Around 50 forest reserves have been affected, increasing future environmental and climate risks. This will have deleterious long-term consequences for our society.

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) is considering a request from Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) for a staggering 280% increase in water tariffs, directly due to the pollution caused by illegal and irresponsible mining.

This is not a request for a tariff increase; it is an admission of catastrophic failure. It is an invoice being presented to the Ghanaian people for a mess we did not create. We are being forced to pay for the crimes of others.

The MD of GWCL reported the turbidity of the water at the Kwanyarko Water Treatment Plant to have hit 32,000 NTU. To give a few more examples, the Bunso water treatment plant has been shut down for almost a year now. The Kyebi water treatment facility is operating at bare minimum capacity and occasionally shuts down.

We are no longer battling an environmental crisis and crime, but also fighting for economic justice, the very suvival of our society.

IF WE CANNOT CONFRONT THE GALAMSEY CRISIS WITH BOLD ACTIONS, THEN WHAT KIND OF NATION AND PEOPLE ARE WE BECOMING? WHAT KIND OF GOVERNMENT WOULD WE BE SAID TO HAVE?

We cannot continue to use the short-sighted economic prospects of gold, to watch with half-hearted actions, while other sectors of our economy are batted to the detriment of citizens.

We therefore make the following demands of the Government, in response to the President’s statement on deploying a State of Emergency, as a last resort.

• By Article 31.9. (a) and (b) The circumstances under which a state of emergency may be declared include the current galamsey situation in which the actions being taken by the enviromental criminals are calculated to deprive large communities of potable water which is an essential of life; It also renders necessary the taking of measures which are required for securing the public safety, the defence of Ghana and the maintenance of public order and of supplies and services essential to the life of the community. We are beyond the last resort, and the President should immediately declare a state of emergency in parts of the country to save Ghanaians as prescribed by the constitution.

• The President must provide the nation with milestones and timelines to serve as a guide for continued action and demonstration of the Government’s commitment.

• The President, in operationalising the KPIs he has given to all MCEs and DCEs in these galamsey endemic areas, should dismiss any MCE or DCE who has galamsey still happening in their districts or municipalities for incompetence. They should be investigated for complicity in the environmental crimes. The same should apply to the Police and the National Investigative Bureau Commanders in these districts and municipalities.

• The establishment of NAIMOS is a positive step, but the government must urgently provide it with adequate resources to address the environmental destruction caused by mining, especially given the national profits from gold sales by Goldbod. We propose two funding options:

• Allocate a portion of Goldbod’s proceeds directly to NAIMOS as show of commitment, and
• Auction confiscated excavators at one-third of their value, and use the funds to support joint enforcement by the Forestry Commission and local police.

• While acknowledging the important role of NAIMOS, the police remain the primary state agency responsible for tackling illegal activities like galamsey. We therefore call on the Government to empower District Police Offices with the necessary resources to carry out consistent, on-site enforcement. Additionally, we urge the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to urgently address persistent issues of corruption and complicity within the police force, which have hindered effective action against illegal mining in various jurisdictions.

• The IGP should complete the transfers of police commanders in the regions, divisions, districts and stations which are endemic with galamsey and set clear galamsey-related KPIs for the new commanders transferred into these galamsey-endemic areas.

• We support the move toward responsible Cooperative Mining, but until there is clear, verifiable evidence of its success, there must be zero tolerance for illegal and irresponsible mining. As a nation governed by the rule of law, justifying illegal activities on the basis that they provide employment for thousands of youth is unacceptable. Allowing such practices to continue sets a dangerous precedent and poses serious risks to national security
• We are aware of delays in prosecuting galamsey offenders and question why the promised fast-track courts have not been established, despite the government setting up Goldbod in just three months. It’s been nine months with no concrete action, and we urge immediate steps to create these courts to support the fight against illegal mining

• The Government should deal decisively with the persons His Excellency, the President, referred to in October 2024 as Kinpings of Galamsey. The Politically Exposed and influential persons have been let off the hook; there has been no action on the persons the Attorney General referred to the EOCO for investigation, including those mentioned in Prof Frempong Boateng’s report. The prosecution of the directors of Akonta Mining is long overdue; the investigation and/or prosecution of MP Aowin, NDC Constituency Chairpersons of Axim and Dunkwa. The President should cause the regular updates of the progress of these cases to assure the citizens that action is being taken to also serve as a deterrent for others.
• Related to this, we are mindful of how galamsey financiers have weaponised the courts and police to intimidate and frustrate community members standing up for their environmental rights. Specifically, the prosecution of community members from Atronsu because they stood against the illegal miners destroying their rivers should be nullified and show our support for community activism and empowerment to stand against forceful takeovers by illegal miners.

• The President should direct Ghana Water Company Ltd and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency to publish the level of heavy metals and other chemicals in treated water impacted by galamsey and assure citizens that the levels are within the World Health Organisation’s acceptable limits.

• The President should also direct the two agencies to publish monthly turbidity and other water quality KPIs at their water treatment intake points to track the impact of the Government’s fight against Galamsey.

• While commending the Government for the action taken on the excavators, we urge the Government to issue an order for all excavators within the country to be registered within a month and ask the Minerals Commission to track them. The numbers tracked so far are grossly inadequate. The Government should publish the names of all excavator owners to foster accountability and aid investigative efforts into any illegal networks.

• The President should immediately order the Minister of Interior to take decisive steps to stop the rush by foreigners into our communities for gold mining and reverse the deportation of foreign suspects arrested in galamsey-related crimes and deal with them according to Act 995.

We will not accept a future where we cannot afford water because our leaders lacked the courage to stop those destroying it. We therefore call on all Ghanaians to make their voices heard.

END

Signed for the Coalition Against Galamsey – Ghana

Kenneth Ashigbey Prof M.A Akudugu Senyo Hosi Daryl Bosu

Convenor Member Member Member

GCAG GCAG GCAG GCAG

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About the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey

The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) is a leading force in the fight against galamsey. It comprises coalitions and a network of organisations from 10 blocks: the Media, Labour, Religious Groups, Youth Groups, Research and academia, Pressure Groups, CSOs, Professional Bodies, Traditional Leaders, and Businesses.

The Coalition is a united front, a common platform for all ‘Against Galamsey Groups’ (AGG) to harmonise advocacy and social action interventions in the fight against galamsey. Only through our unity and collective action can we effectively combat this issue.

The campaign’s focus against illegal mining activities is not limited to gold exploitation. It includes all mining offences committed under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) based on the premise that the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana states that any mining activity that takes place without ratification by Parliament is illegal. Our approach is comprehensive and thorough, leaving no room for illegal activities.

• Media Coalition Against Galamsey
• OneGhana Movement
• Ghana CSOs Platform On SDGs
• BRACE
• Kasa Initiative Ghana Stakeholder Engagement Forum
• General Transport, Petroleum & Chemical Workers Union
• Peasant Farmers Associations
• Ghana Institution of Engineering
• Institution of Engineering and Technology, Ghana
• Graduate Students Association of Ghana
• New Media Association of Ghana
• Ghana Institute of Architects
• Institute of Public Relations
• Ghana Institute of Foresters
• Africa Centre for Energy Policy
• Chamber of Agribusiness Ghana
• Research Scientists Association – GAEC
• University Teachers Association of Ghana – UTAG
• Ghana Mine Workers Union
• Other Ghanaian Citizens of Repute