President John Dramani Mahama must act decisively and declare a state of emergency to combat the galamsey crisis that threatens Ghana’s very survival. The mounting environmental catastrophe demands extraordinary measures that only emergency powers can deliver. The hour for half-measures has passed.
Ghana faces an environmental apocalypse. Illegal mining has degraded 40% of our forests and polluted 60% of our water bodies, while the Water Resources Commission confirms that about 60% of Ghana’s water bodies are now polluted, with many in critical condition. These are not mere statistics—they represent the systematic destruction of our nation’s life-support systems.
The urgency becomes clearer when we examine the scale of contamination. Mining operations release toxic chemicals including mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium into our ecosystems, creating health hazards that will plague generations of Ghanaians. Research shows that over 70% of community members express extreme concern about declining water quality and the drying up of streams and rivers due to galamsey.
Our water crisis has reached breaking point. Communities across Ghana struggle with access to clean water as treatment facilities shut down due to pollution levels that exceed processing capabilities. Entire communities like Gomoa Buduburam have gone nearly a month without treated water flowing through their distribution networks. This is not just environmental degradation—it is a humanitarian crisis.
The economic implications are equally devastating. Water treatment costs have skyrocketed as companies struggle to purify increasingly polluted sources. Agricultural productivity has plummeted in former mining areas, threatening food security and rural livelihoods. The Ghana Water Company Limited has requested massive tariff increases, passing pollution costs to consumers already struggling with economic hardship.
Critics argue that emergency powers represent governmental overreach or that conventional measures remain sufficient. This perspective fundamentally misunderstands the crisis’s scope and urgency. Conventional enforcement has failed spectacularly. While bureaucrats debate procedural niceties, our rivers die and our forests disappear.
Emergency declaration under Article 31 of the Constitution would enable rapid deployment of security forces to mining hotspots, immediate equipment seizures, and strict movement controls in devastated areas. These measures could halt the most destructive mining operations within weeks rather than years.
More importantly, emergency powers would demonstrate political will that current rhetoric lacks. Galamsey operators and their political protectors must understand that Ghana’s government prioritizes environmental survival over short-term economic gains from illegal mining. Half-hearted enforcement signals acceptance of environmental destruction.
The presidency’s preference for gradual reforms ignores the crisis’s exponential nature. Every day of delay allows further contamination of water sources, deeper forest penetration, and expanded criminal networks. Permit-tracking systems and community agreements cannot match the urgency required when facing environmental collapse.
However, emergency declaration must include safeguards. Clear timelines, judicial oversight, and transparent exit strategies remain essential. Emergency powers should target the most devastated zones while implementing fast-tracked legal reforms, alternative livelihood programs, and environmental restoration initiatives.
Constitutional experts confirm that galamsey meets Article 31 requirements. When illegal activities threaten national life, public safety, and territorial integrity, emergency powers become not just permissible but necessary. Ghana’s environmental crisis satisfies these constitutional thresholds.
International precedents support emergency environmental responses. When faced with existential threats, responsible governments deploy available constitutional tools. Ghana’s failure to act decisively while possessing legal mechanisms for emergency response would represent governmental negligence.
The choice facing President Mahama is stark: declare emergency powers to save Ghana’s environment or watch helplessly as illegal mining completes its destruction of our natural heritage. Political caution in the face of environmental catastrophe amounts to complicity.
Our children deserve better. They deserve rivers that run clear, forests that thrive, and agricultural lands that produce food rather than toxic waste. They deserve leadership with courage to use available powers when facing existential threats.
President Mahama has the constitutional authority, moral obligation, and popular support necessary for emergency declaration. The environmental data justifies extraordinary measures. The legal framework permits decisive action. The only missing element is political will.
The time for emergency action against galamsey is now. Ghana’s survival depends on it.
Roger A. Agana is an environmental advocate and concerned Ghanaian citizen.