SONA 2025: President Mahama Pledges to Eradicate Galamsey
His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama has once again explained his government’s ambitious plan for Ghana’s extractive sector, expounding that the transformative policies being implemented by his government are aimed at addressing the challenges in the sector, improving the governance architecture in the industry, and adding value to Ghana’s mineral resources.
Delivering the first State of the Nation Address of his second term, President Mahama stated that his government has adopted a proactive approach in battling against the challenges in the extractive sector, which includes illegal mining, known widely as galamsey.
President Mahama observed that Ghana’s forest cover has been ravaged by illegal mining activities and that his government, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and other agencies, has already rolled out measures that he believes will lead to the eradication of the menace.
“Mr. Speaker, illegal mining, commonly known as ‘Galamsey,’ has inflicted tremendous harm on our forests, leading to significant land degradation and the pollution of vital water sources. This reckless activity threatens Ghana’s environment and public health. Presently, 44 of the country’s 288 forest reserves have been impacted, an area that is alarmingly equivalent to approximately 7,504 football pitches.
“The pollution levels in major rivers within the Southwestern Basin are critically high, with turbidity levels far exceeding permissible limits. To combat this urgent crisis, we are implementing a proactive approach that includes robust and impartial law enforcement, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and the creation of alternative livelihood programmes,” he said.
He stated that the Minerals Commission will be expanded and resourced to execute its regulatory duties effectively and ensure that mining companies undertake their activities within the scope of the law.
“We are expanding the Minerals Commission’s regional offices to strengthen regulatory oversight. We are establishing a framework that categorises mining activities into small, medium, and large-scale operations, each with tailored regulations,” he said.
“Establishing a Gold Board will ensure effective governance of the gold industry. At the same time, we wish to take advantage of Ghana’s salt production capacity to place it as a central export commodity under the AfCFTA,” he added.
On the topic of value addition, President Mahama said that the government is leveraging the focus of the world towards net-zero emissions to create policies that will ensure that minerals such as lithium are not exported in their raw form but rather refined with value being added to them.
He believes that this action by the government will be a game-changer in the industry as it will ensure that the country enjoys maximum returns from its mineral resources.
“Government is also seizing opportunities presented by the global shift towards net-zero emissions to craft policies related to critical minerals such as lithium. The anticipated development of integrated aluminium and iron industries will significantly increase the value of Ghana’s natural resources,” he said.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, under the leadership of the Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, is already making strides with its renewed fight against galamsey already yielding results.
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