The Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, has acknowledged that President John Dramani Mahama is correct in saying he never personally promised to declare a state of emergency to tackle illegal mining. Mr Bosu, however, has challenged the President’s position that such a measure could result in widespread abuse of citizens’ rights.
His comments follow President Mahama’s remarks in New York on Friday, September 25, where he dismissed claims that he had pledged to invoke emergency powers against galamsey. The President explained that a state of emergency should be considered a last resort and questioned its practicality for a problem affecting several regions of the country.
Clarifying the history of the proposal, Mr Bosu explained that the President never made a commitment to declare an emergency during his engagements with civil society organisations. Instead, he recalled that the President indicated that the National Security Council would review the situation and determine the necessary action.
Mr Bosu nevertheless challenged the reasoning behind linking emergency powers automatically to violations of human rights, arguing that the state remains responsible for protecting citizens even when exceptional measures are applied. He noted that the conduct of security agencies during such an intervention would depend on the safeguards established and enforced by the state.
“The power and the exercise of whatever the military does during a state of emergency lies also in the power of the state and its obligation to uphold the human rights of every citizen.”
Daryl Bosu
Turning to the demands previously made by civil society groups, the A Rocha Ghana Deputy National Director explained that their proposal was never intended as an unrestricted nationwide deployment. He indicated that the request centred on targeted intervention in identified galamsey hotspots where illegal mining had reached serious levels.
Mr Bosu further explained that a limited emergency arrangement could involve maintaining military teams in affected areas for a defined period to prevent illegal miners from returning after enforcement operations. He therefore argued that the effectiveness of such a measure should be assessed from the manner in which it is implemented rather than from the existence of the emergency declaration itself.
He also rejected comparisons between the proposed response to galamsey and restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic in some countries. According to him, the circumstances differ because the civil society proposal was intended to target specific mining hotspots and strengthen existing security operations.
For A Rocha Ghana, the central issue remains the effectiveness of state action against illegal mining in areas where enforcement challenges persist. Mr Bosu therefore called for the discussion on emergency powers to be reconsidered within the context of targeted protection, human rights safeguards and sustained security presence.
Galamsey Fight Requires Stronger Protection For Forest Reserves
President John Dramani Mahama also defended his decision not to declare a state of emergency over illegal mining, explaining that the measure is generally intended for isolated areas where authorities can concentrate resources before lifting the restrictions. Speaking to Ghanaians in New York, he indicated that the government already possessed sufficient powers to tackle galamsey and was using targeted operations in identified hotspots.
The President’s remarks have drawn a further response from A Rocha Ghana Deputy National Director Daryl Bosu, who disputes aspects of the administration’s assessment of conditions in forest reserves. Mr Bosu argues that the continued pressure on Ghana’s forests requires sustained protection and stronger resourcing of the institutions responsible for conservation.
He particularly disagreed with the suggestion that action taken in nine forest reserves had adequately addressed the wider threat facing the country’s forest estate. “If we keep talking about the nine forests and the situation in ten forests now, it is neither here nor there,” he explained.
According to Mr Bosu, the protection challenge extends beyond the areas where government interventions have already been undertaken. He maintained that Forestry Commission personnel are currently working to contain illegal mining activities but lack the permanent military presence he considers necessary to secure vulnerable forest reserves.
A Rocha Ghana has recently highlighted the scale of illegal mining in forest reserves, including the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, where the organisation warned that continued activity could cause severe ecological damage. The organisation has also defended its assessment that at least 50 forest reserves face encroachment linked to illegal mining, following a public dispute over the number of affected reserves.
Mr Bosu therefore questioned whether the President was receiving sufficiently detailed information about conditions on the ground. He called for stronger briefing of the presidency on developments within forest reserves so that policy responses can correspond with the situation observed by environmental organisations.
Beyond military deployment, he pointed to institutional capacity as another area requiring attention in the galamsey response. In particular, he called for the Minerals Commission and Forestry Commission to receive adequate resources to protect forest reserves while communities along affected rivers are supported.
The position also extends to the government’s Blue Water initiative, which has been presented as part of efforts to protect water bodies from illegal mining. Government’s earlier environmental programme included the deployment of Blue Water Guards alongside measures to reclaim degraded forest reserves and strengthen enforcement.
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