The Executive Director of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, has called on the government to leverage the tragic loss of eight Ghana Armed Forces personnel in a helicopter crash to declare a targeted state of emergency in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
She said the sacrifice of the “fallen eight” and others who have died in efforts to protect Ghana’s natural resources should mark a decisive turning point in ending the menace.
Speaking in the wake of the Z-9 Air Force helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region, which killed all eight officers on board, Serwah stressed that the fight against galamsey cannot be business as usual.
“The deaths of the eight victims, along with others who have lost their lives in the fight against galamsey, should serve as a turning point in combating the menace,” she stated, warning that history would judge the current generation harshly if decisive steps were not taken.
She urged the government to treat galamsey as an existential threat, not only to Ghana’s environment but also to its security. She called for measures that would back political commitments with concrete action.
