President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to utilize the remaining three months of his second term to address the ongoing crisis of illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.

Speaking at the 28th GJA Awards, Dwumfour reminded the President of his commitment to halt galamsey upon taking office, noting that this promise remains unfulfilled.

In his address, the GJA President emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We are aware that some time ago, Mr. President, the father of the nation made a promise to stop galamsey but regrettably that promise has not been fulfilled. You are barely three months until the end of your administration and we are hopeful that you will deal with the situation before you leave office.”

Dwumfour proposed declaring a state of emergency as part of the measures needed to combat the galamsey issue in the country.

He declared, “We still maintain that a state of emergency must be declared over our water bodies, and all planned and active mining concessions overlapping with river buffers should be abrogated. All mining activities within 100 meters buffer of all rivers and streams should be halted with immediate effect.” He also called for the immediate repeal of Legislative Instrument (L.I) 2462.

While acknowledging the economic contributions of the mining sector, environmentalists and health professionals have raised concerns about the significant environmental degradation associated with illegal mining. Rivers such as the Bonsa in the Western Region and the Pra in the Ashanti Region have faced severe pollution due to the toxic chemicals used in mining operations.

Additionally, forest reserves like Tano Nimiri in the Western North Region and the Draw River in the Western Region have also been heavily impacted.

There have been increasing calls from the Trades Union Congress and various civil society groups for President Akufo-Addo to implement a ban on all illegal mining activities and declare a state of emergency in the affected regions.

In a related effort, A Rocha Ghana, in collaboration with six other civil society organizations, is taking legal action against the government over illegal mining in forest reserves. This coalition, which includes Kasa Ghana, Eco-Conscious Citizens, Tropenbos, Nature and Development Foundation, Civic Response, and the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, is raising alarms about the severe environmental damage caused by mining in protected areas.

During an emergency press briefing at A Rocha's headquarters in Accra, Daryl Bossu, Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, highlighted their objective: “Our primary goal is to secure an injunction to stop all mining and prospecting in forest reserves to protect the environment.”