Dennis Miracles Aboagye, aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has challenged President John Dramani Mahama to end what he describes as “a pattern of excuses” and take immediate, bold action to stop illegal mining, widely known as galamsey.
Speaking in reaction to the deepening devastation of water bodies and farmland, Mr. Aboagye said the situation has worsened under the Mahama administration and requires more than rhetoric to reverse the damage being done to Ghana’s environment and water systems.
He added that President Mahama’s administration has had sufficient time in office to begin fulfilling his promises to Ghanaians on the issue, noting that Ghanaians are not seeking miracles but evidence of genuine effort by their leaders.
“Today, we are seeing galamsey escalate in nine months. What the government needs to do is to stop the excuses and stop asking for time, because nobody has time, and the situation is dire.
“You made specific promises to the people – at least implement those promises, let them not work. People will actually admit that you made an effort, but in a situation where you have not done the things you said you would do, people will talk”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Aide to Former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
Mr. Aboagye, who served as a leading communications aide in the previous administration, noted that the government’s repeated assurances have failed to translate into effective field action. He said while the President continues to call for patience, the destruction of rivers and forests has reached alarming levels.
“The fact that we have licences doesn’t mean they cause galamsey – that logic simply doesn’t hold,” he stressed, rejecting claims that licensed miners are responsible for the environmental damage.
He said this to dismiss the notion that the number of licences issued by the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is responsible for escalating the galamsey crisis. He further argued that enforcement of existing laws, not new excuses, is what the situation demands.
Mr. Aboagye also expressed satisfaction with ongoing legal processes against persons accused of breaching environmental laws, including the NPP Ashanti regional chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
“I’m glad Chairman Wontumi is having his day in court – that’s how a society governed by law should work,” he said, insisting that accountability must be pursued through due process rather than public outrage.
Kyebi Water Supply Collapses
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, Hon. Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has revealed that the Kyebi Water Treatment Plant has been shut down for over three months due to extreme pollution of the Birim River.
He said the river’s turbidity has reached unprecedented levels, cutting off water supply to thousands of residents.
“For months now, I have watched with deep sorrow as the soul of Abuakwa South bleeds. Thousands of my constituents have been left without clean water for over three months. And when water is life, the absence of it is the absence of life itself”
Hon. Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, MP for Abuakwa South
The MP explained that the pollution which is a direct consequence of uncontrolled galamsey operations, many involving foreign nationals, continues to degrade the environment despite numerous government directives and taskforces. He explained that the Birim River’s turbidity has risen to 64,000 NTU, making the water unsafe for treatment or consumption.
Hon. Dr. Agyemang urged Ghana’s criminal justice system – including the Police, the Prosecution Service, the Judiciary, and the Environmental Protection Agency – to act decisively. “The law must bite, and it must bite hard. Those who profit from the destruction of our environment, whether local or foreign, must be made to face the full rigours of the law,” he declared.
While commending the Abuakwa South Municipal Assembly and security agencies for recent clampdowns, he cautioned that piecemeal operations will not solve the problem, as success should be measured by the restoration of clean water and healthy communities.
He also appealed to traditional leaders, youth groups, religious institutions, and local residents to join in combating illegal mining.
“The battle against galamsey is a moral and existential one – for our survival, for our children, and for generations yet unborn,” he said. “The Birim River must live again. For without it, our land and our people cannot thrive,” Dr. Agyemang concluded.
As Ghana grapples with rising pollution levels, deforestation, and water scarcity linked to illegal mining, calls for stronger leadership and tougher enforcement continue to grow. Both critics and advocates now agree that the fight against galamsey will define the credibility of President Mahama’s renewed environmental agenda.
