President John Dramani Mahama received an open letter from the pressure group OccupyGhana urging immediate action against “galamsey,” or illegal small-scale mining.
The Group requested accountability procedures and a clear roadmap in a letter dated September 29, 2025.
According to the letter, OccupyGhana made a similar plea to then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo against the unchecked growth of Galamsey on September 28, 2022, precisely three years prior.
The organisation bemoaned the fact that “those promises have gone unfulfilled” in the “reminder” letter to President Mahama, and threatened to send out reminders every week to push for enforcement.
The letter demanded a public declaration of a state of emergency in areas affected by mining as well as “immediate, impartial enforcement of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).”We demand that the problem be resolved immediately.
“We demand immediate action to deal with the issue, the crisis has only worsened dramatically. The case for declaring a targeted State of Emergency in affected mining areas is today even more urgent and compelling than it was three years ago,” the statement stated.
One of Ghana’s biggest environmental problems is still illegal mining. Despite multiple government interventions, it has resulted in deforestation, river pollution, and crop devastation.
There are major public health concerns after a recent scientific research by the Pure Earth and Environmental Protection Authority found that several food items were polluted by mercury used in illicit mining.
President Mahama reaffirmed his commitment to fighting illegal mining and promised transparency in the process during a recent meeting with civil society organisations.
President Mahama stated that if national security and pertinent agencies recommended it, he would not think twice about declaring a state of emergency.
Source: newsthemegh.com