Social activist and private legal practitioner Oliver Barker Vormawor has declared that Ghana has lost the fight against illegal mining, urging Ghanaians not to believe claims that the government is winning the battle.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on October 1, Vormawor wrote: “We have lost the fight against Galamsey. Don’t believe any propaganda. Travel and see. Shalom.”
His comments come as President John Dramani Mahama maintains that the government has made progress in tackling illegal mining, although more work remains.
Speaking to Ghanaians in the United States, President Mahama said the military had cleared illegal miners from nine forest reserves classified as “red zones” because of the extent of the incursions.
He said that unlike in the past, when the military would leave after clearing the affected areas, soldiers now establish camps in the forest reserves to prevent illegal miners from returning.
On calls for a state of emergency, Mahama said he had never promised to declare one and maintained that such a measure should only be considered as a last resort.
“I never ever said I will declare a state of emergency. States of emergency are useful, but you declare them as a last resort,” he said.
The President explained that illegal mining is taking place across 10 regions, making it difficult to impose a state of emergency across the entire country.
He also noted that a state of emergency would give authorities broader powers to arrest and detain people without the usual 48-hour constitutional limit.
“The point is we still have that power, but we must exercise it as the last resort,” he said.
