- Security analyst Nana Kweku Ofori-Atta accused the government of lacking political will to end illegal mining.
- He argued that successive governments only make speeches instead of enforcing real action.
- The analyst criticized President John Dramani Mahama’s plan to meet religious and civil groups, calling it unproductive.
- He said the government could easily stop galamsey if it deployed the military and navy.
- Many Ghanaians have begun questioning Mahama’s campaign promise to end illegal mining.
Ghana’s struggle against illegal mining has taken yet another controversial turn, as a respected security analyst, Nana Kweku Ofori-Atta, has condemned what he calls the government’s lack of genuine commitment to the fight.
According to Ofori-Atta, despite years of pledges and political speeches, illegal mining continues to ravage Ghana’s environment, leaving behind poisoned rivers and destroyed farmlands. He argued that the issue no longer requires new discussions or committees but bold leadership and the political will to act decisively.
Speaking to The Chronicle, he noted that successive governments, including President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, have excelled in rhetoric but failed in results. Ofori-Atta believes that if the government truly intended to stop the menace, the armed forces could easily clear out illegal miners from the country’s forests and riverbanks.
His comments come at a time when President Mahama has initiated consultations with religious leaders and civil society organizations to discuss long-term solutions to the problem. But to Ofori-Atta, such meetings are misplaced priorities — symbolic gestures that do nothing to stop the destruction happening daily on the ground.
The analyst warned that public patience is running thin, stressing that Mahama’s credibility on environmental protection is being tested. Ghanaians, he said, voted for change and decisive leadership, not prolonged dialogues and empty assurances.
For many, the continuing devastation of Ghana’s ecosystems despite repeated promises signals a worrying failure of will — not of capacity.
REFLECTIVE OPINION
The galamsey crisis has become more than an environmental issue; it’s now a mirror reflecting Ghana’s leadership dilemma. What Nana Kweku Ofori-Atta points out is not just government inaction, but the moral decay that allows political convenience to triumph over public duty.
Each administration has come armed with slogans — “Operation Vanguard,” “Let’s Save Our Rivers,” “Fight Galamsey Now” — yet none has mustered the conviction to end it. The truth, as Ofori-Atta boldly states, is that Ghana’s fight against illegal mining could succeed overnight if the same energy spent on campaign tours were used to empower security forces to enforce the law.
President Mahama’s decision to meet civil and religious leaders might seem inclusive, but inclusion without action is futility disguised as progress. The nation doesn’t need another photo opportunity — it needs soldiers in the forest, accountability in high places, and the courage to confront those profiting from the destruction.
If leadership continues to trade real reform for symbolic gestures, Ghana’s rivers will keep running brown, and its forests will vanish beneath the noise of excavators. The real tragedy won’t be the failure of policy, but the quiet acceptance of a dying land.
