Joy News investigative journalist Erastus Asare Donkor has warned that illegal mining, known as galamsey, is not just an environmental issue but a severe public health crisis fuelled by complicit members of the governing party.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show (SMS) today, September 23, he asserted that a few individuals are “taking advantage and restricting the rights of over 30 million people” for their personal gain.
“Then we come into this administration. As soon as power changed hands, [NDC] party people got into forest reserves and started mining illegally, and they’ve been doing so till now, until we started piling pressure… We’ve been piling on pressure. Occasionally, they will send the military reluctantly to go and arrest them [illegal miners] and then, as if they are fighting [the menace], when we pile on the pressure, then they send people there, they fight them, burn things, and then they come back. It’s not been working. It’s like the person who is supposed to fight the thing itself is not willing.”
His claims are backed by a renowned economist and brother of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, Dr Cadman Atta Mills, who stated, “any bozo just simply goes because he’s a party member and he’s given a licence to explore, and the exploration licence is being used to actually mine.”
Mr Donkor, honoured with the Order of the Volta (Member) for Exemplary Journalism in the fight against galamsey, painted a stark picture of the medical consequences of galamsey.
He revealed that numerous children have been admitted to clinics with various ailments linked to heavy metals in their systems, citing data from the Paediatric Society.
“Do you know the number of young people who have died of silicosis in Colong?” he questioned, also raising concerns about the number of pregnant women presenting with illnesses linked to toxic chemicals.
These health impacts, he stressed, are a direct result of the toxic pollution of Ghana’s water bodies and environment.
Challenging the arguments against a state of emergency, he clarified that such a measure would not restrict the movement of citizens but would create “red zones” around water bodies and forest reserves where no mining activity is permitted.
Anyone found in these areas would be “testing whatever you want to see,” he stated, arguing that the state has a fundamental obligation to protect its citizens from a precarious situation.
Mr Donkor also provided evidence of political complicity. He recounted a specific instance where an assemblyman led a mob attack on the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP) anti-galamsey task force, underscoring how local political figures actively protect illegal miners.
His reports have also uncovered military-guarded galamsey sites and revealed collusion between illegal miners, police, and chiefs.
“Galamsey task force are told where to go and where not to go,” he has previously reported, highlighting how enforcement efforts are systematically undermined.
The journalist has received numerous threats for his reportage, even being forced into temporary exile before the 2024 elections, demonstrating the dangerous influence of those involved in the illegal trade.
Mr Donkor’s commentary reinforces the growing sentiment that the fight against galamsey requires a firm political will that has thus far been absent, with the public’s right to life and a healthy environment being sacrificed for the personal profit of a few politically connected individuals.