The Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, has expressed disappointment with President John Dramani Mahama’s stance on the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Civil society groups, including A Rocha Ghana, have long called for decisive and extraordinary measures to curb the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining.
At his media encounter on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, President Mahama stated that his administration was not in a hurry to declare a state of emergency, arguing that existing laws provide sufficient authority to tackle the menace.
But speaking on News Feed on Channel One TV on Thursday, September 11, 2025, Mr Bosu described the president’s remarks as discouraging.
“We had a bit of disappointment listening to the president when he was speaking on what has been done, or what is being done, as far as galamsey is concerned. We realised that there were a number of excuses also given by the president.
“The state of emergency has been relegated to the background, as he said it is going to be a last resort,” Mr Bosu said.
He noted that the situation on the ground had not improved since the time President Mahama, then in opposition, joined civil society in calling for a state of emergency.
“Mining is still actively going on in the Eastern and Western regions. There are police in these communities, and galamsey is ongoing. These are the circumstances we stood on to ask for a targeted state of emergency. It is unfortunate that now that the government has the power to do that, it is also giving us a lot of excuses,” he added.
State of Emergency ‘not yet necessary’ in galamsey fight – Mahama
