The Centre for Democratic Movement (CDM) has called for urgent and extraordinary measures to tackle illegal mining, warning that Ghana’s rivers, forests, and farmlands face irreversible destruction if decisive action is not taken.
In a strongly worded statement, the group said a state of emergency is “long overdue” given the scale of environmental devastation.
According to the CDM, successive governments have failed to enforce environmental laws, with political patronage and elite complicity shielding offenders.
“Illegal mining continues to poison Ghana’s vital water bodies — the Pra, Ankobra, and Offin rivers — and scar fertile lands beyond repair,” the statement noted.
The group warned that rural livelihoods are collapsing as water pollution and degraded soils cripple farming and fishing.
The CDM also criticised President John Dramani Mahama’s recent comments on the matter. While in opposition, he insisted that illegal mining was a “national emergency” that required a state of emergency. Now in government, however, he has argued such a declaration is unnecessary at this stage.
“I have been reluctant to implement a state of emergency in the galamsey fight because we have not exhausted the powers available to us without such a declaration,” the President said.
The movement questioned this shift in position, describing it as an issue of moral consistency and ethical leadership.
“For someone who once decried inaction and demanded sweeping measures, this change of tone and deferment raises serious questions of political convenience,” the group stated.
The CDM urged Parliament, the Judiciary, and civil society to hold the Executive accountable, stressing that “the lives of Ghanaians matter” and that the environment is the foundation of national prosperity.
“If rivers die, farms collapse, and communities are displaced by violence, no amount of rhetoric or political manoeuvring can salvage the future of this country,” it concluded.
Source: Ernest Arhinful
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