Economist Dr. Paul Appiah Konadu has strongly criticized President John Dramani Mahama’s recent comments on illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, accusing the government of placing monetary interests above the devastating human and environmental costs.
The economist at the Academic City University says the president’s posture reflects a dangerous failure to appreciate the gravity of the destruction caused by galamsey.
For him, it appears the President has taken a U-turn from his posture on the menace when he was in opposition.
Dr. Appiah Konadu maintains that he cannot fathom why the president is drawing his feet in the declaration of a state of emergency, a stance he wholeheartedly embraced when he was in opposition.
The economist believes this shift represents more than just political inconsistency; it signals a willingness to gamble with Ghana’s future for short-term financial benefits. He stressed that water bodies are being poisoned, forests are being depleted, and farmlands are being rendered barren, yet the government seems to be treating the crisis as a matter of revenue rather than survival.
“I was very disappointed with the response of the president, just as many analysts have said. Because when you were in opposition, you told us that we have to declare a state of emergency on Galamsey and also ban mining within a certain radius close to water bodies, repealing the LI, which allowed people to enter the forest and explore for good,” he told The High Street Journal.
He added, “they came in and they are rather reviewing the LI and all that. So, in terms of the fight against Galamsey, I think I am disappointed in the president and the government. And I think they are not seeing the state of our water bodies, the state of our forest, the degradation of our lands as a result of Galamsey as a life-threatening development, which needs to be addressed.
For him, the development is an existential threat. This is about the survival of communities and the future of generations.
Environmental scientists have long warned that unchecked galamsey will make Ghana import drinking water within a few years. Farmers in the Western, Ashanti, and Eastern regions already complain of declining yields due to mercury-contaminated soils.
The economist is unhappy that the president’s posture sends a wrong signal that the government is prioritizing cash inflows from illegal mining over safeguarding human health and national survival.
As the pressure continues to mount, will the leadership choose the short-term allure of gold revenues or the long-term survival of its people and environment? Only time will tell.
