President John Dramani Mahama has ruled out the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday September 10, 2025, the President said the country has not yet exhausted the existing legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms available to tackle the menace.
“We have the opportunity to arrest anybody, to confiscate equipment, and there are laws for forest protection and other regulations that give us enough powers to act. Implementing a state of emergency might sound nice, but it should be the last extreme the last resort,” President Mahama stated.
He explained that declaring a state of emergency also comes with legal and procedural hurdles, noting “If it becomes necessary, we’ll look at it. But for now, I think we still have leverage to fight galamsey without necessarily implementing a state of emergency. The President can declare it, yes, but it must go to Parliament and there are limits to how long you can maintain that state of emergency,” he said.
The President also raised concerns about the scope of such a measure, emphasizing “It means we would have to delineate the areas where the state of emergency is operational. If you look at where galamsey is taking place, it covers several districts of our country,” he explained.
President Mahama, however, reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to tackle the menace head-on, concluding “For now, we are giving the security services enough powers. Let’s exercise all the powers we already have, and if it becomes necessary for a state of emergency, then we’ll consider it.”
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