Professor of Finance at the University of Ghana Business School, Prof. Godfred Bokpin, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to demonstrate stronger leadership in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
His call follows the death of seven illegal miners after a mining pit collapsed at Asaman Tamfoe in the Atewa East District of the Eastern Region on Saturday, August 29, 2026.
The incident occurred at about 11:00 p.m. while the miners were reportedly working in the pit in search of gold.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has disclosed that about 30 people have died in mining-related incidents across mining districts in the Eastern Region since January 2026.
Deputy Eastern Regional NADMO Director in charge of Technical and Disaster Risk Reduction, Emmanuel Konja Tullah, disclosed the figure while briefing the media at the scene of the Asaman Tamfoe mining pit collapse.
Speaking in an interview with Jude Duncan on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Monday, August 31, Prof. Bokpin acknowledged what he described as President Mahama’s achievements in other areas of the economy and society but said the President must take decisive action to address illegal mining and its devastating environmental and human consequences.
“The President has done quite well in many other aspects of this economy and society. I recognise that. But the point I’m making is that a good leader, an effective leader, does not choose where he or she wants to succeed. You don’t lead based on convenience,” he said.
Prof. Bokpin said the strong mandate given to President Mahama in the 2024 general elections came with high expectations from Ghanaians.
“If you look at the election results of 2024, there is so much hope and confidence in President Mahama. You can see it in the results. So, to whom much is given by way of votes, much is also expected,” he said.
He said his criticism was intended to push the President to take stronger action, stressing that he believed the President had the capacity to address the galamsey crisis.
“So when we say there’s no leadership here, we want to stir up the President to go the extra mile because he cannot fail us. President Mahama cannot fail us,” he said.
Prof. Bokpin warned that continued delays in tackling illegal mining would make the crisis increasingly difficult to resolve.
“Because the more we fail on this matter, the harder it’s going to be to win it. You delay a day, a week, a month, a year, it’s going to be harder to win that fight,” he cautioned.
He stressed that effective leadership required decisive action on national challenges, particularly those with potentially irreversible consequences.
“And leadership must respond when it matters most. I hold this position because I believe that the President has shown leadership in certain areas of this economy and the rest of them. But as a leader, you don’t pick and choose where you want to succeed. The whole country is in your hands,” he said.
Prof. Bokpin further argued that economic growth could not be pursued at the expense of environmental protection and ecological sustainability.
“An economy can never be defined to exclude the environment and ecological integrity. It can never,” he said.
He warned that economic gains could be wiped out if environmental degradation and loss of life from illegal mining continued unchecked.
“And whatever gains you call gains today, it can easily disappear within months, whilst the environmental and life loss can never be recovered,” Prof. Bokpin added.
