Be bold and declare state of emergency over galamsey – Palgrave tells President Mahama

Former Government Spokesperson on Governance and Security, Dr. Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama for his reluctance to declare a state of emergency in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, arguing that the menace has already become a national security threat.

Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Monday, October 6, 2025, Dr. Boakye-Danquah said:

“Galamsey is the biggest threat that can face the humanity of the Ghanaian people, and I am wondering why Mahama does not want to clamp it down.

What policy formation are they putting together? What intelligence are they gathering? Are they trying to say they are not gathering a lot of intelligence around? Galamsey has become so cancerous that we need to be able to nip it in the bud.”

He added that the President should already be aware of the gravity of the situation and act decisively based on briefings from the national security apparatus.

“The president is aware of it. The national security might have briefed him. The next moment he would shift it from national security and say that he is waiting on advice from the Ghana Armed Forces — is that what we are waiting for? I think that the president should be bold now,” he stated.

President Mahama, during a stakeholder dialogue with civil society groups on Friday, October 3, 2025, said he would not hesitate to declare a state of emergency in areas affected by illegal mining if advised by the National Security Council.

He, however, noted that the Council currently believes the fight against galamsey can be won without such a declaration.