The Centre for Democratic Movement (CDM) has issued a strong condemnation of President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, accusing it of a gross failure to address the rampant illegal mining (galamsey) destroying Ghana’s rivers and farmlands.
In a press statement released on Wednesday, May 21, the CDM described the environmental situation under the Mahama government as “a national disgrace and an environmental catastrophe.”
The group criticised the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) 2024 campaign promises—including auditing mining concessions, banning mining in water bodies, reclaiming degraded lands, and operationalising the Ghana Gold Board—as mere “empty political rhetoric.”
Highlighting the poisoned state of major rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra, Offin, Tano, and Birim, the CDM said these vital water bodies have been “turned toxic” during Mahama’s tenure.
“President Mahama cannot claim ignorance. He cannot feign helplessness. The rot is thriving under his watch—and worse, under his silence,” the statement read.
The group further accused the government of complicity, attributing the surge in galamsey operations to a complete breakdown in enforcement and political will.
Demanding urgent intervention, the CDM called on the President to declare a state of emergency in all galamsey-affected areas.
“The rivers are bleeding. The forests are dying. The people are suffering. A state of emergency is not optional; it is overdue. Declare it now, or stand forever complicit,” the statement concluded.