President John Dramani Mahama has denied promising to declare a state of emergency to fight illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He made the clarification during a town hall meeting with Ghanaians in the Tri-State Area of the United States on September 25, 2026, after being questioned about why he had not declared one.
President Mahama explained that a state of emergency should only be used as a last resort, particularly because galamsey is spread across 10 regions rather than being confined to one area.
“I never ever said that. I never said I'd declare a state of emergency, but states of emergency are useful; you declare them as a last resort,” he said.
He noted that such a measure is normally declared in a specific area, allowing the government to concentrate resources there and address the problem before lifting the emergency.
“Now, what people don't understand is that galamsey is in 10 regions of Ghana. You declare a state of emergency; where are you going to declare the state of emergency?” he asked.
The President also pointed out that a state of emergency comes with restrictions on citizens’ rights, including the power to arrest and detain people without the usual 48-hour requirement.
“That 48-hour rule doesn't apply when there's a state of emergency. And so the point is, we still have that power, but we must exercise it as a last resort,” he said.
Instead, he said the government has focused its efforts on areas where illegal mining has caused serious damage, particularly forest reserves.
According to him, nine forest reserves were classified as red zones because of the extent of illegal mining and the presence of armed miners.
“Today, in those nine forest reserves, the army has cleared all the people out of them,” he added.
