The Executive Director of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awulah Serwah, has issued a stark warning to the government, urging immediate and decisive action against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Speaking on ABC News, she cautioned that failure to address the crisis effectively could push Ghana towards a future resembling South America’s struggles with powerful criminal cartels.
She emphasized the need for a state of emergency to be declared to combat galamsey before it entrenches itself further into organized crime.
Criticizing the recently launched Blue Water Initiative—an effort to deploy non-security personnel to protect water bodies—Serwah dismissed it as merely “a job for the boys” rather than a serious attempt to curb illegal mining.
“Instead of tackling the matter head-on, we are merely playing around,” she stated. She further stressed that effective systems must be put in place to prevent miners from returning to devastated sites, arguing that the government’s current approach is insufficient.
“We need to immediately tackle this, and that’s not what I see the government doing,” she added.
With growing concerns over environmental degradation and the potential escalation of organized crime, Serwah’s call to action underscores the urgency of enforcing stricter measures to safeguard Ghana’s natural resources.
