The Small-Scale Miners Association has opposed increasing calls for the declaration of a state of emergency in the fight against galamsey (illegal mining).
This comes despite intense pressure from civil society organizations, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, environmental groups, and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) for such a declaration.
At a press conference on Monday, September 15, the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey also called on the President to immediately declare a state of emergency in the areas hardest hit by illegal mining activities.
The coalition cited constitutional provisions, arguing that the scale and persistence of environmental crimes—depriving communities of safe water and threatening public safety—now meet the threshold for extraordinary action.
However, speaking to Emmanuel Agyabeng on GHOne TV, Public Relations Officer of the Small-Scale Miners Association, Arafat Suleiman, stated that the call is premature.
He argued that stakeholders have not exhausted existing avenues for tackling the menace.
“I believe it is unfortunate that certain agencies are calling for a state of emergency at this point, especially when we have not exhausted all the measures available to us. For instance, as an association, we have consistently called for empowerment to effectively combat the menace of illegal mining,” he stressed, adding that licensing, enforcement, and regulation of small-scale mining must be fully pursued first.
Suleiman further challenged civil society groups to back their claims with verifiable data.
“If you ask the CSOs calling for this state of emergency to provide concrete data backing their claims, most of them will refer you to findings by other organizations. This is why it was appropriate for the Government Spokesperson to challenge these CSOs to provide actual data showing that the situation with illegal mining (galamsey) has worsened.”
Source: Starrfm.com.gh / Benjamin Sackey
