The President told Ghanaians in New York that emergency powers are a last resort and that his government already has the tools to fight galamsey.
President John Dramani Mahama says he never promised to declare a state of emergency over illegal mining, pushing back on claims that have circulated as pressure mounts on his government to act on galamsey.
He was speaking to Ghanaians in New York on Friday, September 25, in remarks reported by Adom Online.
"They said I said a state of emergency. I never ever said that," the President said.
Why he says it would not work nationwide
Mr Mahama argued that a state of emergency is a blunt instrument for a problem that is now spread across the country. He said illegal mining \u2014 known locally as galamsey \u2014 has affected 10 of Ghana's regions.
In his explanation, emergency powers work best when they are confined to one area. Government can then move resources into that zone, deal with the problem, and lift the measure once it is done.
"You concentrate all your energy there, deal with the issue, and you finish it, and you lift the state of emergency," he said.
He did not rule the option out entirely. His position, as he put it, is that such powers remain useful but should be a last resort.
What government says it is doing instead
The President said his administration already holds the legal powers it needs to confront illegal mining without going the emergency route. The approach, he said, is targeted operations in galamsey hotspots that have already been identified.
He accepted that the fight is difficult, but said the government remains committed to dealing with the damage illegal mining is doing to Ghana's environment and to the communities living with it.
The pressure behind the question
The clarification did not come out of nowhere. The Paediatric Society of Ghana, a professional body of child health doctors, has urged the President to declare galamsey a public health emergency \u2014 a call rooted in concerns about the effect of polluted water and mining chemicals on children.
Mr Mahama has also previously said the National Security Council, the top government body coordinating security policy, believes the problem can be handled without a state of emergency.
Why it matters for Ghanaians abroad
For Ghanaians in the United States following the story from a distance, the distinction is more than wordplay. A state of emergency would allow government to suspend certain normal rules and restrict movement in affected areas. Ruling it out for now means the fight against galamsey stays within existing law \u2014 enforcement raids, arrests and prosecutions \u2014 rather than shifting to extraordinary powers.
It also sets a clear public marker. Having said plainly that he never made the promise, the President will now be measured on whether targeted operations in the hotspots actually reduce the destruction in those 10 regions.
