Ghana’s Fool’s Gold and National Eco-Suicide

A Nation Poisoned:
The environmental degradation caused by Galamsey is no longer just about gold. Mercury, copper, nickel, and other heavy metals have entered our water systems and food chain. This is no longer a matter of employment for young people—it is a matter of national survival. Water turbidity levels in many areas have reached 14,000 NTU, far exceeding the Ghana Water Company’s purification threshold of 2,000 NTU. Eleven districts that rely on the Ayensu River in the Central Region can no longer treat water from this source.

Both major political parties—the NPP and the NDC—have presided over this ecological collapse. Their complicity, driven by greed and political financing, has rendered them morally bankrupt on this issue. The time for excuses is over.

Health and Human Consequences:
Ghanaian scientists have long warned of the health consequences. Congenital anomalies in newborns are rising. Spontaneous abortions are increasing. Children in affected areas drink visibly brown water daily. These are not the hallmarks of a nation that has been self-governing for nearly 70 years.

The evidence is clear: we are poisoning ourselves. Heavy metals in the food chain damage kidneys and other organs. Many young men are already dying prematurely. This is not a slow-burning issue—it is a national emergency.

A Call to Action:
The riverbanks of all major waterways must be secured immediately. A military presence with strict enforcement powers is necessary. Those engaged in illegal mining—and those who finance them—must be arrested and prosecuted. This includes financiers within the political establishment.

We are not interested in partisan finger-pointing. The destruction of Ghana transcends political rivalry. The results speak for themselves: our rivers are dying, our lands are poisoned, and our people are suffering.

A Path Forward:
There are proven methods to make small-scale mining environmentally sustainable. Our ancestors mined gold for centuries without destroying the land. Other countries have implemented safe practices. Ghana can do the same—but only if we act decisively.

Even if Galamsey were banned today, it would take 5 to 10 years and an estimated $300 million to begin restoring our water bodies. Full ecological restoration will take one to two generations. We have already burdened future citizens with the cost of our inaction.

Hypocrisy on the Global Stage:
Recently, our President addressed the United Nations General Assembly and declared that “climate change is real.” This statement rings hollow when juxtaposed with our failure to address Galamsey. We are accelerating climate change through our own negligence.

Conclusion:
This crisis has been building for over a decade. Both the NPP and the NDC are culpable. If this issue is not resolved within the coming months, both parties will have forfeited their moral authority to govern—if indeed a future remains for us to govern at all.

This is not just an environmental issue. It is an existential one. Ghana is at war with itself, and if we do not act now, we may not survive as a nation.

Reference:
modernghana.com/news/776808/galamsey-a-symbol-of-national-ineptitude.html (2017).

Thaddeus Ulzen is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the University of Alabama & Part-time lecturer at the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences.

He is the author of Java Hill: An African Journey – A Historiography of Ghana

He is National Chairman of the Progressive Alliance for Ghana (PAG) a neo-Nkrumaist political party

www.tpmanusulzen.com
@thaddeusulzen
[email protected]
www.proalliancegh.org

By Prof. (Med) Thaddeus Ulzen