The pressure group OccupyGhana has issued a stinging “Galamsey Reminder” to President John Mahama, demanding the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in all mining areas across the country to confront the rapidly worsening illegal mining crisis.
The move, outlined in an open letter dated October 3, 2025, marks the three-year anniversary of the group’s initial call for radical action against illegal and unregulated mining, widely known as galamsey.
OccupyGhana argues that the crisis has progressed from a severe threat to an existential one, necessitating the use of constitutional powers.
A Crisis of ‘Existential Threat’
OccupyGhana asserts that the continued destruction caused by galamsey meets the threshold for invoking emergency constitutional measures. The group specifically cites Article 31(9) of the 1992 Constitution, which covers situations that threaten the “essentials of life, public safety and national survival.”
The organization’s renewed plea follows recent high-level acknowledgements of the crisis’s escalation. They quote Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, who stated on September 15, 2025, that the “existential threat that Galamsey is, ‘has become worse’” despite ongoing efforts.
“Today, 3 October 2025 marks exactly three years since we issued our attached, first weekly ‘Galamsey Reminder,’ demanding immediate and radical action,” the letter stated. “In the intervening three years, the crisis has only worsened dramatically, destroying over 60% of Ghana’s water bodies, devastating prime farmlands, and contaminating the air and soil with toxic chemicals.”
The Economic and Health Toll
The consequences of this unregulated mining are vast, extending deep into Ghana’s economy and public health system:
- Financial Loss: Experts estimate that the state loses over $2.4 billion annually in revenue due to the evasion of taxes, royalties, and regulatory fees by illegal miners. This fiscal hemorrhage hinders the government’s ability to fund corrective environmental and social measures.
- Environmental Contamination: Galamsey operations, prevalent in gold-rich regions like Ashanti, Eastern, and Western Ghana, introduce dangerous levels of heavy metals such as mercury and cyanide into major water bodies, including the Pra, Ankobra, and Birim rivers. The WHO warns that mercury concentrations in local fish have been found to be three times higher than safe consumption levels in some affected areas.
- Health Hazards: The contamination has been linked to a rise in birth-related complications, neurological disorders, and chronic conditions like kidney dysfunction in local populations, particularly those reliant on surface water sources.
Constitutional Path to Action
To trigger the State of Emergency, OccupyGhana has laid out the precise constitutional steps the President must follow under Article 31(1) and 31(2):
- Seek Advice: Obtain the counsel and advice of the Council of State.
- Proclaim: Issue a formal Proclamation of the declaration in the Gazette.
- Parliamentary Debate: Immediately recall Parliament from its recess to place before it the facts and circumstances leading to the declaration, allowing the legislature to ratify the emergency period and provide the government with the necessary mandate to get a grip on the situation.
The pressure group lamented the government’s lack of engagement on the issue, noting that their previous reminders have received “no acknowledgment, no response and no action.”
OccupyGhana concluded by offering a pragmatic way forward, stating they are willing to provide “suggestions and proposals on how to establish a properly regulated artisanal mining industry in Ghana” that serves the broader national interest once the crisis is contained.
The call for emergency action heightens pressure on the government following recent news of the Acting Chief Justice urging judges and magistrates to prioritize and expedite galamsey prosecutions—a clear sign that even the Judiciary recognizes the severity of the crisis.
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