The fight against galamsey—illegal small-scale mining—has taken on renewed urgency following the recent helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight public servants.
Kwame Jantuah, a prominent legal practitioner and leading member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has called on the nation to use this tragic event as a pivotal moment to eliminate galamsey activities once and for all.
According to Jantuah, those involved in illegal mining must pause and reflect on the broader consequences of their actions, including the human cost now associated with attempts to tackle the menace.
He believes the lives lost in the crash must not be in vain, urging Ghanaians to see the tragedy as a national turning point in the fight against environmental degradation caused by galamsey operations.
“Should we not, as a nation, use this as a fulcrum to handle galamsey? I will suggest that the busts of all these individuals, like we did for the Judges who were killed, should be placed, probably in their various houses or in a place to signify the finality of ending galamsey.
“Because why were they in that helicopter? They were going for a programme that would help structure galamsey, and so we should do something that one day, we would look at them and say these were the people who helped us end this tragedy.”
Kwame Jantuah
Jantuah proposed that such tributes should serve not only as memorials to honour the fallen officials but also as a collective national vow to end the environmental and human devastation caused by illegal mining.
He believes these symbols of remembrance should embody the country’s renewed commitment to protect its natural resources, restore degraded lands, and hold accountable those who continue to fuel the galamsey crisis.
President Mahama Called To Crush Galamsey
Kwame Jantuah also issued a strong call to President Mahama, urging him to take a firm and uncompromising stand against illegal mining.
Jantuah described the crash as a defining moment—an opportunity for the President to be ruthless in addressing galamsey and exposing those behind it, regardless of their political or economic status.
He stressed that this is not the time for symbolic mourning alone, but a time for decisive and transparent action.
According to Jantuah, if the state fails to confront the galamsey crisis with bold leadership, then it is the entire nation that must bear the blame for future consequences.
“For me what I see in this is that God is finally warning us that I do not give you a land of plenty and you decide to destroy it, no matter how painful it is, he is warning us to act and if we don’t act, ten years from now, we would not have a country called Ghana.”
Kwame Jantuah
He believes the country has been blessed with abundant natural resources but is at risk of losing everything if it continues down the path of environmental destruction.
The government has since declared a three-day national mourning period to honour the eight individuals who lost their lives.
A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Ceremonial Gardens at the Presidency on Thursday, August 7, 2025, marking the beginning of the mourning period.
Further commemorative events are planned, including a vigil and a final national event on Saturday, August 9, 2025.
These activities are expected to bring together families, officials, and the public to reflect on the tragedy and the legacy of those who died while contributing to a national cause.
Kwame Jantuah’s comments have added a moral and political dimension to the public discourse surrounding the crash. His call to use the incident as a catalyst for ending galamsey adds further pressure on leadership to respond with urgency and resolve.
As mourning continues, the question remains whether the nation will indeed act—or once again allow a tragic moment to pass without meaningful change.
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