Environmental activist and Co-ordinator of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, has called for a temporary halt to small-scale mining in Ghana until stricter monitoring measures are put in place.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, she expressed concerns over the government’s approach to tackling illegal mining, also known as galamsey, and the continued destruction of the country’s forest reserves and water bodies.
According to Serwah, Ghana has issued “thousands and thousands” of small-scale mining licenses, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and relevant regulatory bodies lack the capacity to effectively monitor all mining activities.
“There are thousands and thousands of licenses issued, yet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not in a position to monitor every single one. So you can get your license and mine how you like, where you like, and who is checking?” she questioned.
She argued that having a mining license does not automatically ensure compliance with environmental regulations, just as having a driver’s license does not prevent reckless driving.
“Pause it until you can verify and make sure that those who have been given licenses are even mining where they are supposed to be mining,” she stressed.
Serwah also criticized the government’s claims of success in the fight against galamsey, stating that reports from trusted journalists and activists on the ground paint a different picture.
She insisted that illegal miners are still operating in forest reserves, and despite recent efforts to reclaim degraded lands, there is insufficient verification to confirm whether all areas have indeed been restored.
Her comments come at a time when the government has announced the arrest of 17 illegal miners and a crackdown on those financing these activities. While acknowledging these efforts, Serwah emphasized that they are not enough.
She described illegal miners as “environmental terrorists” and urged the government to declare a state of emergency to fully flush them out of Ghana’s forests and water bodies.
Beyond enforcement measures, she called on Parliament to completely revoke Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves. She dismissed the proposed amendment to the law as inadequate, warning that it still leaves Ghana’s forests vulnerable to destruction.
