Pres. Mahama invites over 50 civil society organisations for engagement on galamsey

President John Dramani Mahama has extended an invitation to over fifty (50) major civil society organisations (CSOs) across Ghana for a high-level engagement on illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

The CSOs invited include religious bodies, think tanks and environmental advocacy groups. Among the key organisations are the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, IMANI Ghana, the Ghana Bar Association, the Ghana Journalists Association and Eco-Conscious Citizens, among others.

A letter dated 17 September 2025, signed by Dr Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President, confirmed that the meeting will take place on Friday, 3 October 2025, at the Jubilee House in Accra.

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The communication emphasised that the engagement seeks to create a platform for frank and constructive dialogue between government and civil society, aimed at leveraging collective expertise, perspectives and solutions to address the national challenge of illegal mining.

This initiative comes amid growing calls for President Mahama to declare a state of emergency in mining communities, as illegal mining activities continue to wreak havoc on water bodies and forest reserves.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has been among the organisations raising concerns. In a statement dated 15 September and signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the Conference warned that illegal mining poses a grave national security threat, describing it as a “cancer in the national soul.”

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Similarly, the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey criticised the government’s response to the crisis, describing it as deeply unsatisfactory and reflecting a “disappointing” lack of urgency.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has announced that all water bodies and forest reserves have been designated as security zones in the latest measure to curb illegal mining.