The National President of the Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana (CFA-Ghana), Nana Oboadie Bonsu II, has criticised the government’s approach to tackling illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, warning that President John Dramani Mahama is being misled by close aides he describes as “termites.”
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Nana Bonsu argued that the current strategy lacks direction and ignores practical solutions proposed by stakeholders in the sector.
“What approach is the government using in the galamsey fight? Is it the Blue Water Guards or the shooting of people here and there? That is not the approach. We have done the work and produced reports,” he said.
He expressed concern that advisors with foresight are being blocked from reaching the President with honest assessments.
“Mahama is surrounded by termites. They are not allowing the people with foresight to send the message to him. So at the end of the day, we will continue to suffer,” Nana Bonsu said.
He warned that unless the President receives unfiltered advice, illegal mining and land degradation will continue to burden his administration.
“If Mahama doesn’t take care, issues with mining, galamsey and land will worry him because his people are not telling him the truth,” he stated.
Nana Bonsu also challenged perceptions about the President’s accessibility, sharing his own experience at a civil society engagement.
“The CSOs’ meeting with him, I wasn’t invited. I smuggled myself and beat the security to get in. I raised my hand to talk and Felix Kwakye never called me. When I later confronted him, he said he didn’t see me. So I ask myself, are they taking the reports from some of us seriously?” he asked.
The CFA-Ghana President warned that conditions on the ground are worsening, with illegal miners gradually returning to abandoned sites.
“Worse things are going to happen because a lot of illegal miners are coming back,” he cautioned.
As part of solutions, Nana Bonsu said his outfit is promoting a ‘Back to Our Village’ campaign, inspired by the government’s agricultural drive, to reduce migration pressures and mining desperation in rural communities.
However, he noted that poor infrastructure is undermining such efforts.
“In most of these villages, there is no light. People can’t even charge their phones or enjoy the basic amenities that make them feel Ghanaian,” he explained.
Rather than blanket bans, Nana Bonsu proposed a structured, community-based mining regime.
“We should let people mine, but responsibly. We should step community mining,” he said.
He also referenced the environmental warning embedded in the Captain Planet film, saying Ghana ignored early signals about ecological destruction.
“That film was done for Ghana because it signalled us that if we don’t take care, in a few years we will destroy our environment and water bodies,” he noted.
Nana Bonsu concluded that the root of the galamsey crisis is not only enforcement but also leadership insulation at the top.
“Because we don’t have people with foresight around the President, that is why things are the way they are,” he stressed.
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