The Media Relations Officer at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, says calls for a state of emergency to tackle illegal mining (galamsey) must be supported by concrete, actionable policies to be effective.
According to him, while such calls remain “valid and appropriate,” merely declaring a state of emergency without the necessary enforcement mechanisms and reforms would render the effort symbolic and ineffective.
Speaking on JoyNews on Monday, July 1, Mr. Schandorf stated that government is currently focused on laying the necessary groundwork to ensure any such declaration yields real results.
“The truth of the matter is that, again I am reiterating, the calls for a state of emergency were valid back then and they still are appropriate in our current circumstances; except that if you’re going to declare a state of emergency and you have not put in the relevant mechanisms that will give the effect to that declaration, then perhaps the declaration itself may be moot — it may be much ado about nothing,” he said.
He acknowledged that such a move would likely win public approval, but warned that optics alone are not enough to defeat the entrenched problem of illegal mining.
“If it [declaration of a state of emergency] is done today, I can assure you we would have that applause from the entirety of the populace, the optical bliss would come, the commendations will come from all quarters, and everybody would be happy.
“But if the fundamental issues on the grounds — which are sometimes the complicity of traditional leaders and all the other nitty gritties — are not addressed, you would declare a state of emergency, but you may not be able to see the substantive results. Nothing will give effect to that declaration. And that is why we have consistently said that look, we are not necessarily backtracking or pussyfooting the issue.”
His comments follow renewed pressure on the government to declare a state of emergency to confront galamsey — a move the opposition NDC pledged while in opposition but has yet to fulfil.
Addressing critics who accuse the NDC administration of retreating from its promise, Mr. Schandorf likened an empty declaration to an armed robber vowing to reform while still clinging to his weapons.
He emphasised that government is committed to instituting the right structures to eliminate illegal mining sustainably.
In line with this, the government has already rolled out several interventions, including the recent inauguration of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the ongoing efforts of the Blue Waterguard task force.
Despite growing criticism, the Lands Ministry maintains that these measures will play a critical role in reversing the environmental damage and restoring Ghana’s lands and water bodies.