OccupyGhana renews call for state of emergency in mining areas over galamsey crisis

Civil society group OccupyGhana has once again urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to declare a state of emergency in all mining areas, warning that illegal mining—popularly known as galamsey—has reached catastrophic levels that threaten Ghana’s survival as a nation.

In a strongly-worded open letter addressed to the President on October 3, 2025, the group marked the third anniversary of its first “Galamsey Reminder” issued in 2022, lamenting that despite years of appeals, successive reminders, and public pressure, government has failed to act decisively to stop the menace.

A Call Made Three Years Ago

OccupyGhana’s first reminder, dated September 28, 2022, was part of a pledge to write weekly until the state took radical action to tackle galamsey.

At the time, the group argued that the scale of unregulated mining qualified as a state of emergency under Article 31(9) of the 1992 Constitution, since it deprived communities of “the essentials of life” and posed a grave threat to public safety, water bodies, land, and national stability.

The organization recommended that the President consult the Council of State, issue a proclamation in the Gazette, and recall Parliament—then in recess—to debate and ratify an emergency declaration.

It also offered technical support to help develop a regulated artisanal mining framework that would ensure mining benefits were shared equitably across the country.

No Response from Government

However, OccupyGhana noted that its appeals have largely been ignored.

“This reminder met the same fate as our earlier one… no acknowledgment, no response and no action,” the group wrote, stressing that the government’s silence over three years has allowed the crisis to worsen.

The letter comes just weeks after Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, speaking at the Ghana Bar Association’s annual conference in Wa on September 15, 2025, described galamsey as an “existential threat” that has deteriorated even further since 2022.

Galamsey as an Existential Threat

The group insists that the destruction of rivers, farmlands, and forests by illegal mining constitutes a direct assault on the future, warning that unless drastic constitutional measures are taken, the nation risks irreversible environmental and economic collapse.

“Sir, the case for declaring a targeted state of emergency in affected mining areas is today even more urgent and compelling than it was three years ago,” OccupyGhana told President Akufo-Addo.

The Bigger Picture

Illegal mining has long been one of Ghana’s most pressing national crises.

Despite multiple government interventions—including Operation Vanguard, Operation Halt, and the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining—the menace persists, with satellite images showing widespread destruction of river bodies such as the Pra, Offin, and Ankobra.

Environmentalists and traditional leaders have repeatedly warned that galamsey not only pollutes water sources relied on by millions of Ghanaians but also undermines food security by rendering arable lands unusable.

Renewed Pressure

With the country grappling with worsening environmental damage and economic losses from illegal mining, OccupyGhana is renewing its call for immediate constitutional intervention.

The group maintains that only a formal state of emergency—anchored in law and backed by Parliament—can provide the legal and political framework necessary to halt the crisis.