The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has assured the public that the government will intensify its fight against illegal mining, known as ‘galamsey’.
Amid the calls for a state of emergency to curb the menace, the Minister has disclosed that the government plans to station permanent security personnel at key hotspots to bolster the effort.
Calls for a state of emergency began in 2024, ahead of the general election, as turbidity levels in Ghana’s water bodies worsened.
Various groups and individuals urged the government to take the matter seriously. However, President Akufo-Addo dismissed the calls, citing potential electoral repercussions for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The NPP eventually lost the 2024 election, and John Dramani Mahama was elected President. However, the galamsey menace persists, with calls for a state of emergency intensifying.
President Mahama, in a recent media encounter, stated that a state of emergency isn’t necessary at this time, as other options can be explored to combat the environmental crisis.
In an interview on Channel One TV Tuesday, September 16, 2025, Minister Kwakye Ofosu indicated that the new approach will involve deploying permanent military personnel to areas highly vulnerable to galamsey.
“All the 44 areas that are threatened by galamsey, there is going to be a permanent military presence,” he disclosed.
The Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese in the Central region, explained that the latest strategy will differ from previous ones, where security officers were deployed temporarily for operations and then recalled.
“In the past, they would go and flush out the characters engaged in galamsey and then leave, but now they will have permanent military presence,” he clarified.
The exercise, he disclosed, will not be limited to only the forest reserves but the water bodies as well.
“All the rivers we have will have permanent military presence,” he intimated.
