Galamsey: State Of Emergency Must Still Be Declared -Group

The Dynamic Youth Movement of Ghana (DYMOG) has issued a powerful call to action, urging the Council of State to advise President John Dramani Mahama to immediately declare a State of Emergency in response to the worsening illegal mining (galamsey) crisis.

Addressing the media at the Ghana International Press Centre, the Executive Convener of DYMOG, Edward Seyram Tuttor, described the galamsey menace as an unfolding national tragedy with devastating consequences for both current and future generations.
“We are all dying slowly. The next generation is not even spared of this genocide. The water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe are heavily poisoned.

“The levels of toxic metals in our food, water and air have exceeded the threshold of human resistance,” Edward Tuttor warned.

A Silent Public Health Crisis
According to DYMOG, the nation is currently battling a full-blown health emergency triggered by illegal mining activities.

In just the first half of 2025, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital alone recorded over 2,000 kidney-related cases, with an alarming increase in cancer cases among babies, spontaneous abortions and deformities in newborns.

Meanwhile, turbidity levels in Ghana’s rivers have soared to 94,000 NTU, a level unfit for treatment and consumption.
The Ghana Water Company has already shut down major treatment plants in the Central, Western, and Eastern Regions, citing unsustainable pollution levels.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) has also reported continuous attacks on its infrastructure by galamsey operators, further threatening national energy supply.
“The air, water, and food that Ghanaians rely on are no longer just threatened — they have become toxic. We are dealing with nothing short of an environmental genocide,” Edward Tuttor stated.

DYMOG painted a grim picture of the national landscape, reporting that over 10,000 hectares of forest reserves have been destroyed, and nearly all freshwater bodies have been polluted.

The group described galamsey operators and their collaborators as “environmental terrorists” who continue to poison the ecosystem with deadly chemicals such as mercury, cyanide, arsenic, cadmium and lead.

They cited research by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) and expert warnings from Prof. Paul Poku Sampene Ossei of KNUST and Dr. Albert Kobina Mensah of CSIR, all of which point to a common truth: the galamsey crisis is not only ecological, it is a matter of public health and national security.
Referencing Article 31(9) of the 1992 Constitution, DYMOG argued that the conditions for declaring a State of Emergency have already been met.

The article specifically lists the threatened state of air, water, and food supply as grounds for such a declaration.
“Illegal mining has become an existential threat to human life, aquatic life, and all biodiversity. It is also destroying our economy and the future of our children. The Constitution gives the President the power to act — and the Council of State the moral duty to advise him to do so,” Edward Tuttor emphasised.

President Mahama Must Act on His Own Words
DYMOG reminded the public that President Mahama himself acknowledged the severity of the situation during his recent “Thank You Tour” of the Western North Region, where he described galamsey as a national emergency.

“If the President has already admitted that this is an emergency, then he must follow through with an emergency response. Ghana cannot afford another five years of rhetoric without results,” the Executive Convener noted.
In its passionate appeal, the Dynamic Youth Movement of Ghana urged the Council of State to rise to its constitutional responsibility and act swiftly.

The group called on the Council to convene an emergency session immediately to deliberate on the galamsey crisis and adopt a firm, united position.
Following this emergency meeting, DYMOG is demanding that the Council formally passes a resolution recognising the scale and urgency of the environmental and public health threats, and proceed to gazette this resolution in accordance with constitutional processes.
Critically, the group is calling on the Council to advice President Mahama to declare a State of Emergency, as provided for under Article 31 of the Constitution.

They argue that such a declaration is not just justified but urgently required, given that air, water, and food — the basic elements of life — have become dangerously contaminated.
“We are pleading with the Council of State to act boldly and in the interest of Ghana. This is no longer a political matter, it’s a matter of survival.

“The people of Ghana are watching. History will not forget those who stood by and did nothing,” Edward Tuttor urged.

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