Sixteen National Heroes Lost; Call for Swift Action on Illegal Mining and Agricultural Modernization

In August 2025, Eight Male Citizens including the Defence Minister the late Dr Edward Omani Boamah on lost their life in Helicopter crash when on trip to Obuasi on a mission of combating irresponsible Mining by introducing Responsible Cooperative Mining Project at Obuasi, as part of measure to ensure effective protection of the environment and thus ensure among others massive Agricultural production hence food security, They are herein termed as Environmental Champion. As stated they lost their Life in a bizarre helicopter crash an unfortunately, as at date, nothing done by the State to ensure they did not died in vain.

Also in February 2026, Eight Male Citizens herein termed as Economic Heroes, who together with others went to the northern part of Burkina Faso to Titao to buy tomatoes in order to meet the yearly national short fall of 400,000 metric tons of fresh tomatoes of high quality, hence, it should be regarded as a national duty and they unfortunately, lost their life in a bizarre attack of Ghanaian traders by the Jihadists in Burkina Faso. So need for the State to see this as a wake up call to solve the short fall in the production of tomatoes of the required quality so as to stop the need to travel to Burkina Faso for tomatoes to meet the short fall of fresh tomatoes for the national needs.

The two incidents that led to death of the Sixteen Nationals are related to Food Security hence human Security which in modern security perspective is integral to National Stability. Hence, the incidents and related matters should be of high interest to the National Security Council and the Regional Security Councils, chaired by the President and his delegates, as Chairmen of Regional Security Councils doubling as Regional Ministers respectively.

The two incidents should be a wakeup call for concurrent national actions to solve to stop or reduce irresponsible mining to the barest minimum and see to the modernization of Agricultural production in selected crops including tomatoes and rice production as import substitution to honor the eight Environmental Champions and the Economic Heroes respectively.

Thus by 07 December 2024, the over a decade of the existential threat due to the environmental footprints of Small Scale Mining and the over 40 years of mismanagement of the Economic Sector due to not investing much for the modernization of the Agricultural Sector, put Ghana at a crossroads. .

These situations made the Electorates for the December 2024, National Election to be wiser and searched for an able and decisive Head of State, Head of National Executive Arm of Government and an effective Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to be elected by them, from among the available Presidential Candidates.

According to the Holy Bible, at Romans 13.1 ‘It is God Who nominates a leader’. So out of the available Presidential Candidates as presented to the Electorates, for the 2024 Presidential Election, God made the Electorates to give an unprecedented victory to Presidential Candidate His Excellency Mr JD Mahama, with unprecedented majority in Parliament, as in the History of the Fourth Republic to shoulder the mantle and navigate Ghana from the Environmental and Economic messes based on his campaign of Resetting Agenda Ghana and 24-hour economy to a Promised Land.

So, by 07 January 2025, the day of swearing-in of President Mahama into Office for 4 years tour of duty, Ghana under the Leadership of His Excellency President JD Mahama was faced with two main Challenges or wars, namely the Environmental and Economic Messes.

Thus called for the President to use Constitutional tools for decisive actions for combating the risks associated with Small Scale Mining concurrently with the changing of the General Goggisburg’s Economic template in order to create massive wealth through value additions, to emblem him to effect import substitution policy as when necessary that is in case of massive surpluses in production to export to generate and conserve enough foreign exchange.

so, this paper, is about how President Mahama should combine the fight against the risks associated with Small Scale Mining with the transformation of the Agricultural Sector to Change the narrative for good Environmental Security and Human Security so as to ensure Water Security, Good Breathing or Health Security, Food Security with massive increase in the domestic production of selected crops including Tomatoes and Rice for food security and import substitution

Also, to some extent for exporting to the sub region of West Africa (ECOWAS) when necessary, hence to conserve and generate more foreign exchange and by that creating more jobs. So, the topics to be expounded below are the effective Combating Irresponsible Mining and modernization of Agricultural Sector for production of food crops especially tomatoes and rice to be treated below.

Combating Irresponsible Mining
Activities of Small Scale Miners, both licensed and unlicensed operators are predominantly irresponsible, thus destruction of the environment and poisoning of the three essential of life, namely Water, Food and Air, thus posing serious existential threat.

The Small Scale Miners method of operations in partnership with foreigners is contrary to the law but they do so, since mining is capital intensive. Further the use of sophisticated technology especially Chafang machines, use of cyanide, mercury, explosives makes Small Scale to be predominantly irresponsible and illegal. These state of affairs have persisted for not less than two decades. Hence the massive effect to the environment.

So, there is the urgent need for a way to cause attitudinal change. This is afforded by a combination of a Declaration of State of Emergency and a ban on Small Scale Mining say one year for a mindset revolution. Declaration of a State of Emergency (DOSOE) would afford the lucrative chances for mindset revolution since it will instil fear of God, and thus for them to accept or adopt responsible mining or navigate personally or for the Government to navigate them to Alternative Livelihood Jobs like the laudable Poultry Project being rolled out by the Government.

As part of the Resetting Ghana Agenda, DOSOE is a tool required to be used for a total Mindset Revolution to change the narratives about small scale mining in Ghana, So, as to help act as follows; (a). To restore the environment and preserve arable land, including the elimination of the use of mercury and cyanide by Miners, thus to ensure responsible mining (b). Get the Chinese Ambassador to evacuate Chinese nationals and equipment from the field. (c). Protect the interest of farmers (food and cash crop including Cocoa and oil palm industries and other tree crop industry (d). It will cause a prompt review of the Small Scale Mining laws to include addition of a third category as Medium Scale Mining in the Mining Sector for tycoons and their foreign partners to operate by complying with local international standards.

To sum up on matters on the combating of irresponsible mining, the complex situation in the Small Scale Mining Sector with the associated massive destruction and pollution of the Environment tells that Ghana needs a Mindset Revolution.

The tool for Mindset Revolution, is Declaration of State of Emergency and a ban of small scale mining that will both stop the madness in the areas of Small Scale Mining. By this, it will afford chances for the Government to put in place, tailored measures including the stated Medium Scale Mining and then Community Small Scale Mining to be reserved for the rural areas of Minerals or affected Communities for Community Subsistence Mining with simple tools etc. So that it would take donkey years for the Cooperative of ten or more in Community Subsistence Mining to destroy 21hexctares as against, one man with two excavators may take one day to destroy a, mining concession.

Tomatoes Production.
Ghana is reported as the highest consumer of tomatoes in Africa and the second in the World. Reports indicated that 800,000 metric tons of Tomatoes is in needed in Ghana, every year at current population but production is below 400,000 metric tons. So, the differences is made by the importation of tomatoes paste or powder, puree, and fresh tomatoes.

Almost all imported fresh tomatoes comes from Burkina Faso, with not less than 80 Million US Dollars is spent to import the fresh tomatoes every year from Burkina Faso. Ghana can increase production of tomatoes under irrigation and Greenhouse tomatoes production units.

Greenhouse tomatoes production units have the capacity to increase the production yield and provide all year round farming with better cultural practices. Ghana should therefore to consider to support farmers with subsidies, the needed seeds or seedlings, a guaranteed or floor price and may be off taker agreements with processing firms.

The needed seeds or seedlings since unfortunately, the Tomatoes traders, claimed they preferred, the variety used in Burkina Faso due to very good storage and tasty quality, as result of low water content and sweeter than local ones. Thus, Ghana should endeavor to get same seed or seedlings from Burkina Faso or develop a better variety. In the interim, to meet local demand at good prices, Ghana to see how Burkina Faso traders or the Government of Burkina Faso, can help bring the tomatoes to an agreed safer centralized market for the Ghanaian traders.

Rice Production
Reliable reports indicated that Ghana consumes about 1.5 million metric tonnes of milled rice yearly and produces about 900,000 metric tonnes of milled rice, hence a deficit of 600,000 metric tonnes of milled rice must be imported to meet the yearly national consumption.

On the average, paddy rice produces 25% husk, 10% bran and germ, and 65% white rice. Hence, good Milling of rice may provide 65% milled or white rice from paddy rice. So, for Ghana to produce 1.5 million metric tonnes of milled or white rice for yearly consumption, in order to at least halt the importation of rice, Ghana must produce not less than 2.31 million metric tonnes of paddy rice to be milled at 65% recovery rate to give at least 1.5 million metric tonnes of milled rice.

Ghana with the support of the International Communities especially the Governments of Korea, Japan, UNIDO etc and local Universities and Research Stations has working very hard for the possibility of getting a production of seven metric tonnes of paddy rice per hectare. But currently, the Volta Region gives the highest yield of paddy rice between 5 to 6metric tonnes per hectare, Eastern and Ashanti Regions give a yield around 4.5 metric tonnes per hectare and the yield in the North hovers around 4 metric tonnes per hectare. Yield of rice in other Regions hovers between 3 to 4 metric tonnes per hectare.

The average yield of rice in Ghana is reported to be hovering around 4 metric tonnes per hectare.

So, based on Ghana’s average yield of about 4 metric tonnes per hectare, Ghana needs to put not less than 577,500 hectares of arable land under good water management for production of paddy rice to get the current requirement of 2.31 million metric tonnes of paddy rice so that milling of the paddy rice at the 65% recovery rate to meet the local consumption of 1.5 million metric tonnes of milled or white rice..

Currently, about 250,000 hectares of land in Ghana is used for the production of paddy rice and the total area of land under irrigation is 222,003 hectares. Rice takes between 130days (4.3months) and 136 days (4.5months) from sowing to harvesting. With this gestation period of a mean value of 4.4 months, so with the 222,003 hectares of land under irrigation, it is possible for two seasons of productions of rice on the same plot in a year of 12 months to meet the target.

Good yield and overall results in including quality, sales etc are contingent on motivating the farmers, aggregators and millers, buyers by import restriction by ways of high taxes against importation of rice, to make local rice competitive, availability of credit facilities, the use of mechanization (for ploughing and harrowing or tilling, sowing or transplanting with good variety of rice, spraying of fertilizer, control of weeds and pests with weedicides and pesticide respectively, harvesting on time with combined Harvesters). Hence the urgent need for efficient Farmers Services Company for the affected areas.

Ghana has considerable potential in agriculture especially for rice production particularly in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone (NSEZ), Volta Region (Kpong/Afefe/Nkwanta, the Afram Plains and the Ahafo Brong/Bono and some parts of Central Region. So, rice production or the agricultural sector provides huge opportunities for this Country.

A typical rice supply chain is made of multifaceted network of public and private entities that links the rice producers (the farmers), rice harvesters, transporters, rice millers, rice collectors or Aggregators and rice wholesalers/traders/retailers and food processors and the final consumers.

Other stakeholders include transporters, companies that supply seeds, agrochemicals and agricultural equipment, irrigation companies, inspection agencies, government departments of commerce, of tax, and agriculture and other state agencies involving matters related to rice production. Hence the Ministry of Agric and Food Security deals with mainly Agribusiness and must be preserved as such and provided with enough funds and no parallel institutions should be established to derail the Agric Sector’s role in the National Economy Sector. The Agric Sector could therefore help solve Ghana’s quest for effective 24 hour economy.

So, the Agricultural sector needs a coherent import substitution policy by restriction of imports of selected food items like rice, tomatoes and up scaling the production to reverse the huge expenditure in the importation. Hence as stated, there is the need for increasing in the efficiency and quality of public spending in agriculture as well as the need for improving the regulatory framework, good market, provision of incentives including credit facilities to farmers, warehouse operators, and efficient processing millers and to attract more private investment into the sector.

The farmers should also be motivated with good Agric infrastructure (roads, silos or storage or warehousing facilities, etc), transportation and marketing, Since land under investigation may be used for cultivation of other crops, Ghana needs to increase the irrigation infrastructure or facilities and bring more upland and bottom valley or low land areas for food production, that is if very positive impact is to be made in crop (cereals, fruit, vegetable etc) productions in Agriculture , .

To conclude, Ghana simple needs improvement in public expenditure allocation for the Agricultural sector, that is reasonable public investments in Research and Development, Mechanization (tractors, power tillers, transplanters, combined harvesters, processing, rice millers etc).

Also there is the need for enough funds for Agric infrastructure development and maintenance (of irrigations, roads, silos or warehouses, greenhouses poultry houses, fish ponds and other areas of needed actions, necessary to sustain Ghana’s agricultural growth. Hence need for efficient management budget and coordination of activities in agriculture, improvement on the collection and analyzing of agricultural data to produce excellence and authentic data for planning as well as proper use and servicing of equipment.

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