Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, has voiced deep disappointment over President John Mahama’s recent comments on tackling illegal mining, widely known as galamsey.
Civil society groups, including A Rocha Ghana, have long demanded bold and decisive action to stop the environmental destruction caused by galamsey.
One of their key calls has been for the declaration of a state of emergency to confront the crisis head-on.
However, during a media engagement on Wednesday, 10 September 2025, President Mahama downplayed that option, stating that current laws are sufficient and that a state of emergency would only be a “last resort”.
Reacting in an interview, Mr. Bosu described the President’s response as disheartening and filled with excuses.
“We were quite disappointed listening to the President’s remarks on galamsey. Instead of showing urgency, he offered justifications and pushed aside the idea of a state of emergency,” Bosu said.
He also pointed out the inconsistency in Mahama’s position, recalling that while in opposition, the former president had joined civil society groups in demanding a state of emergency to address the same issue.
“Unfortunately, since then, the situation on the ground has only worsened. Mining is still actively going on in the Eastern and Western regions. There are police personnel 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,” Mr Bosu said in an interview on September 11.
