The Bureau of Public Safety is urging a radical shift in the national discourse on illegal mining, calling for it to be recognised as a direct threat to human life rather than merely an environmental or security concern.
Speaking on Saturday, August 9, the Bureau’s Executive Director, Dr. Nana Yaw Akwada, argued that the true impact of galamsey on public health and survival is more severe than many realise.
“Galamsey is not an environmental issue; it is not just a security issue. If you break it down in layman’s terms, galamsey is a wellbeing issue and a survival issue,” he said.
He warned that expert assessments show Ghana’s water bodies and food sources are being contaminated with toxic chemicals, rendering them unsafe for consumption, with serious implications for life expectancy.
“Our water and food are being poisoned. Our lives are now going to be shorter than they used to be,” he stated.
Dr. Akwada urged residents of mining communities to weigh the long-term health costs over short-term financial gains.
“It is not about the money you will get today, but the quality of life you will live, and the unborn generations will inherit,” he stressed.
He added that reframing galamsey as a life-and-death issue could galvanise stronger public action to combat the menace.
His remarks come at a time when the nation is mourning the deaths of senior government officials and military personnel, who perished in the recent military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom district in Ashanti region.
The helicopter crash on Wednesday, August 6, claimed the lives of Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence, and Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation.
Others confirmed dead were Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Samuel Aboagye, former parliamentary candidate; and Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The crew members who perished were Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Earlier, the Ghana Armed Forces reported that the Z-9 helicopter, carrying three crew members and five passengers, had gone “off the radar.”
The aircraft departed Accra at 09:12 local time (GMT) and was heading to Obuasi for an anti-illegal mining event. Its disappearance triggered an immediate search-and-rescue operation, which later confirmed that all eight people aboard had died.
The burial rites for the two Muslim victims of the recent military helicopter crash — Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and MP for Tamale Central, and Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator — will take place today, Sunday, August 10.
In line with Islamic tradition, Janazah prayers will be held at 2:00 p.m. at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra, followed by burial at 2:30 p.m. at the Military Cemetery.
An inter-denominational state funeral for all the victims of the crash is scheduled for Friday, August 15, 2025, at the Black Star Square.
