A pro-democracy think-tank, the Centre for Democratic Movement (CDM) has accused President John Dramani Mahama and his administration of gross negligence and complicity in the worsening illegal mining (galamsey) crisis, which continues to ravage Ghana’s water bodies and farmlands.
In a statement, the CDM described the Mahama government’s performance on environmental protection as a “national disgrace and an environmental catastrophe,” lambasting the administration for failing to deliver on its 2024 campaign promises to end illegal mining.
“What we are witnessing under Mahama’s leadership is not just inaction; it is complicity. The rivers are bleeding. The forests are dying. The people are suffering,” the CDM stated
The group cited the alarming deterioration of major rivers including the Pra, Ankobra, Offin, Tano, and Birim—bodies of water that once sustained entire communities but are now polluted and unsafe due to unchecked galamsey activities.
The CDM stressed the government’s failure to implement key initiatives, such as the Ghana Gold Board (GOLDBOD), the “Tree for Life” reforestation drive, and the proposed legislative reforms to protect water bodies and banning mining in forest reserves and water bodies.
“Where are the audits? Where is the legislation? Where is the enforcement? Promises without funding are lies. And the budget has revealed the truth,” the group stressed.
The CDM also criticized what it termed the “cruel irony” of allocating $279 million to GOLDBOD for gold purchases while neglecting to fund land and water reclamation programs.
“This is a deliberate policy choice that prioritizes revenue over restoration, greed over green, and optics over outcomes,” the statement read.
Calling the government’s environmental record ‘an active betrayal of public trust,’ the CDM demanded immediate action, including:
1. A full public disclosure of illegal mining concessions and those behind them.
2. A nationwide moratorium on mining in all water bodies, enforced by neutral security personnel.
3. A parliamentary inquiry into the government’s handling of the galamsey crisis.
4. The declaration of a State of Emergency in all affected areas.
“If President Mahama cannot take action to save our rivers, then he is no different from those destroying them. Posterity will remember not just the miners with shovels and mercury; but also the leaders who looked away while Ghana bled,” the CDM warned.
With public anger growing over the environmental degradation caused by illegal mining, the CDM’s statement is expected to add further pressure on the Mahama administration to respond with urgency and transparency.
