President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling illegal mining, widely known as galamsey, stressing that enforcement alone cannot resolve the deep-rooted problem without the active ownership and participation of Ghanaians.
Speaking at the 2025 PR Knowledge Sharing Conference hosted by IPR Ghana and the Africa PR Association, the President said that illegal mining remained one of the most urgent threats confronting the country and warned that it continues to erode Ghana’s environment, public health, and long-term development prospects.
The President described galamsey as a destructive distraction that has scarred rivers, degraded forests, and exposed communities to harmful chemicals.
“One of the most urgent issues facing us today is the distraction caused by illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. This activity has resulted in river pollution, deforestation, and exposure of our citizens to toxic chemicals.”
President John Dramani Mahama
Since taking office in January, the government, he said, had responded decisively by seizing equipment, making arrests, and monitoring excavators. These measures, however, were only part of a larger and more difficult struggle.
He emphasized that law enforcement by itself could not resolve the crisis. “Enforcement alone is not enough. And that is why we’ve introduced the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Program,” he explained.
According to President Mahama, this new initiative is designed not only to support regulated and legal forms of cooperative mining but also to restore degraded lands and offer alternative livelihoods to young people who often find themselves drawn into illegal operations out of economic necessity.
The goal, he noted, was to create a balance between protecting the environment and ensuring that mining remains a source of sustainable economic opportunity for communities. Despite these interventions, the President acknowledged that the fight against galamsey continues to generate considerable anxiety among the population.
He admitted that government had not been fully successful in communicating the true scale of the problem and the complex battle required to uproot an activity that has embedded itself deeply in Ghana’s social and economic fabric.
“There is much anxiety amongst our people because we have failed to convey the full extent of the distraction and the difficult battle needed to root out a problem that has deeply embedded itself in our nation’s fabric”.
President John Dramani Mahama
Broader Dialogue
To bridge this gap, the President announced that the government has initiated a broad-based dialogue process to involve a wide range of stakeholders in the national response.
He explained that the dialogue would begin with civil society organizations (CSOs), before extending to traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other influential groups whose voices carry weight within communities where galamsey has taken hold.
“And that is why the government has decided to initiate a dialogue with recognized groups, starting with CSOs today, to not only involve Ghanaians but also give them ownership of the fight against illegal mining. Future dialogues will be held with traditional rulers and religious leaders”.
President John Dramani Mahama
President Mahama praised the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) Ghana for its proactive role in shaping national conversations around the issue. He recalled a robust statement issued by IPR in 2024 that called for the adoption of a comprehensive behavior change communication strategy as part of the national response to galamsey.
“I’m pleased that IPR Ghana, in a robust statement they issued in 2024, called for the adoption of a comprehensive behavior change communication strategy as part of the national response to galamsey. I support that vision 100%. To ownership, enforcement cannot succeed”.
President John Dramani Mahama
The President’s remarks placed communication at the center of Ghana’s anti-galamsey strategy. He argued that the challenge was not only technical and environmental but also behavioral and cultural, requiring Ghanaians to rethink their relationship with natural resources and the long-term future of their communities.
By involving citizens in the fight and making them co-owners of the solution, he said, the government hopes to build a coalition strong enough to overcome vested interests that profit from the illegal trade.
President Mahama’s message aligns with his broader reset agenda, which seeks to restore trust between government and citizens by prioritizing accountability, transparency, and inclusive governance.
His insistence that communication strategies be paired with enforcement reflects a recognition that complex national problems require not only top-down directives but also grassroots participation.
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