By Belinda Nketia
Environmental activist Awula Serwah critiqued the government’s handling of the Galamsey crisis during a Zoom interview on GTV’s Breakfast Show on Friday 13th February, 2025.
Speaking with host Kafui Dey, Serwah argued that the government possesses the power to eradicate illegal mining but is being held back by a lack of political will and the entanglement of powerful figures in the illicit industry.
“To see people put their lives at risk to highlight what is going on and no action is being taken, it’s heartbreaking,” Serwah stated, referencing the threats and violence faced by journalists and anti-Galamsey activists like Master Erastus Asare-Donkor. “They deserve all our praise and all our prayers.”
Serwah commended anti -galamsey activist and others who have put their lives at risk even though they have been beaten but they still continue to uncover the ugly side of Galamsey activities
Her central argument was that the government could resolve the Galamsey issue within months if it were truly committed. “Army officers have told us time and time again that they can stop this menace in the space of 3 months or less, but they need the authority to act with no political interference,” she revealed. “For heaven’s sake, declare a state of emergency or issue an executive order and flush them out!”
Serwah advocated for the president to use his executive powers as commander-in-chief to declare certain areas “no-go zones,” allowing the military to remove illegal miners and enable forest guards to operate without fear. She emphasized the threat posed by heavily armed Galamsey operators who can repel armed response teams.
“It was done when COVID happened. We can do same,” she argued, drawing a parallel between the government’s decisive response to the pandemic and the urgency required to address Galamsey.
Serwah painted a grim picture of the consequences of unchecked Galamsey, citing health crises like a rise in kidney disease, deformed babies, and maternal deaths, as well as the poisoning of water bodies and soil, jeopardizing the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen. She also highlighted concerns about contaminated food crops.
“We are all playing our roles, but what can we do when the operators are heavily armed?” Serwah asked rhetorically. She warned that current efforts to address corruption and economic issues are futile if the government fails to tackle the root causes of environmental destruction and health risks caused by Galamsey. “Issuing statements and hiding their heads under the sand like ostriches will not make the problem go away. The problem becomes worse every minute that we refuse to take action we know we should take.”
Serwah believes the root cause is the involvement of powerful figures within both major political parties in the country. “The illegal mining is being done by players, some of whom we saw from Prof. Frimpong Boateng’s report, are highly connected to those in power. The two main political parties in Ghana have their people involved, and are finding it very difficult to clamp down on it,” she concluded.
The issue of illegal mining (Galamsey), the mining of gold in a crude and illegal manner is fast becoming a menace in Ghana despite government’s efforts to curb it.
One Response
“Now!!!” means immediately or instantly, else we should hit the streets sooner than later. Enough of politrixians politicking us! No more “final warnings”. No more playing with our lives! Which part of “existential threat” don’t our Misrulers understand?!
Aluta continua!