Ghana’s worsening illegal mining crisis has reignited national outrage as former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo calls for an unprecedented total moratorium on all mining activities — both legal and illegal — to halt the country’s accelerating environmental destruction.
Her appeal follows fresh reports of violent attacks on anti-galamsey operatives in the Ahafo Region, highlighting how deep-rooted criminal networks, political interference, and national inaction have allowed the menace to spiral out of control.
Speaking in a candid interview on Channel One TV, Justice Akuffo said Ghana is “poisoning itself” through reckless mining practices, warning that the crisis has long passed the point of control.
“Galamsey didn’t become intractable in 2025; it became intractable long ago. We’ve been playing games around it, dancing around it, and now it has become a political issue,” she said.
“It has grown so many thieves that it is killing and poisoning everybody.”
The former Chief Justice described the devastation of water bodies and farmlands as a “national disgrace”, blaming successive governments for lacking the will to confront the problem head-on.
“It’s about time Ghanaians woke up and stopped being childish. We cannot continue to pollute our waters and our lands. A gift from God, we have used it to poison ourselves — that is wrong,” she said emphatically.
Justice Akuffo proposed a national mining freeze, arguing that the only way forward is to “pause and rebuild discipline and accountability” in the sector.
“I believe there should be a moratorium on every form of mining, whether legal or illegal, small-scale or galamsey, until we sort ourselves out. This quest to mine our resources has gone out of hand. Let’s call for a pause.”
Her remarks come amid a wave of violence tied to anti-illegal mining operations. On November 1, members of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) were attacked at Hwidiem in the Ahafo Region after arresting a group of illegal miners near Bronikrom.
Police sources said the officers had seized weapons, unregistered vehicles, and mobile phones before a mob descended on them. The situation reportedly escalated when the MP for Asutifi North, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, allegedly intervened and demanded the release of the arrested suspects — an incident now under investigation.
The attack has deepened concerns that political interference continues to undermine the state’s ability to enforce mining laws. Analysts say the latest developments underscore Justice Akuffo’s warning that galamsey has evolved into a politically shielded criminal enterprise, eroding both governance and environmental integrity.
Environmental experts have echoed her call for a national pause, warning that Ghana’s major rivers — including the Pra, Ankobra, and Offin — face irreversible contamination if drastic measures are not taken.
As the debate intensifies, pressure is mounting on government to declare a national environmental emergency and implement Justice Akuffo’s proposed moratorium, seen by many as the only radical step capable of saving Ghana’s dying rivers and farmlands.
