President Mahama’s galamsey response full of excuses, a disappointment – A Rocha Ghana

The Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, has voiced sharp disappointment over President John Dramani Mahama’s approach to the illegal mining crisis, accusing him of backtracking on earlier commitments.

Civil society groups, including A Rocha, have repeatedly pressed government to declare a state of emergency to halt the devastation caused by galamsey, which has ravaged rivers, forests, and farmlands across the country.

However, at a media encounter on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, President Mahama insisted his administration was “not in a hurry” to take that step, arguing that Ghana’s existing laws were adequate to deal with the menace.

Reacting in an interview on Channel One TV’s News Feed the following day, Mr Bosu said the President’s comments were deeply 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,” he lamented.

Mr Bosu recalled that President Mahama, while in opposition, had joined civil society in calling for stronger action, including a state of emergency, yet little has changed on the ground since his return to power.

“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 said.