The Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, Akwasi Konadu, has called for a declaration of a state of emergency in Ghana’s small-scale mining areas, following what he described as a “national crisis” driven by illegal mining activities, locally known as galamsey.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page titled “A Nation Under Siege: The NDC’s Broken Promises and the Call for a State of Emergency in Ghana’s Small Scale Mining Sectors,” Mr. Konadu blamed the current government for what he termed a “reckless and deceitful” approach to combating illegal mining.
His comments come in the wake of a recent violent attack on officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and journalists during an anti-galamsey operation, an incident the MP said reflects the breakdown of law and order in the fight against illegal mining.
“The tragic attack on officials of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and journalists during an anti-galamsey operation is not an isolated event; it is the direct result of a failed, reckless, and deceitful approach by the current NDC government toward illegal mining and environmental protection,” Mr. Konadu stated.
According to him, the recent violence was the culmination of months of “political hypocrisy, broken promises, and dangerous populism” that have emboldened criminal networks to take up arms against the state.
Mr. Konadu accused President John Dramani Mahama and leading members of the ruling party of encouraging illegal mining activities through campaign promises that undermined the rule of law. He referenced comments made by Mahama during a campaign stop in Adum Banso, Mpohor Constituency, in September 2024, where he allegedly promised to grant amnesty to small-scale miners.
“Those words have now come back to haunt the nation,” the MP said. “What happened in that forest on November 6, 2025, was more than an attack; it was an act of rebellion against the authority of the Republic.”
The Manhyia North legislator also cited another incident in Hweidem, where he alleged that a sitting Member of Parliament led a mob to attack an anti-mining task force, freeing arrested miners and assaulting security personnel.
He warned that Ghana’s natural resources and environmental integrity were under severe threat, lamenting that rivers, forests, and farmlands had been destroyed while government officials “look the other way.”
“Our rivers are poisoned. Our cocoa farms are destroyed. Our forests, once green and alive, are now gaping wounds of mud, death traps, and mercury,” he said. “The government remains silent, incompetent, and complicit while Ghanaians pay the price in blood, insecurity, and poverty.”
Mr. Konadu urged immediate national action to restore order and protect the environment.
“The situation has gone beyond political debate. It is a national emergency,” he declared. “We therefore call for an immediate declaration of a state of emergency in the affected mining zones to empower security agencies to reclaim the forests, restore order, and bring every illegal miner, financier, and political accomplice to justice.”
He appealed to Ghanaians to demand accountability and action, stressing that “every bullet fired in that forest was not just against them, but against Ghana itself.”