Ghana on the Brink: Declare a state of emergency or surrender to galamsey rule

The New Coup Is Not in Uniform—It Wears Mud and Carries Guns

From the 1960s through the turbulent 1980s, Ghana’s sovereignty was threatened by the barrel of the gun—coups d’états that toppled governments and shook the foundations of our republic. But today, the threat is more insidious. It does not wear fatigues or march in formation.

It is from bandits in galamsey pits, armed to the teeth, poisoning our rivers, corrupting our institutions, and quietly building a parallel power structure beneath our soil. It is illegal mining—galamsey—and it is fast becoming the most potent threat to Ghana’s national security and survival.

This is not hyperbole. This is a national emergency.

Illegal mining—galamsey—is no longer just an environmental menace. It is a full-blown security crisis. The weapons flowing into mining zones are not for digging. They are for domination. Sophisticated rifles, tactical gear, and organised violence are now commonplace in these zones.

The question every Ghanaian must ask is chilling: What will these bandits do with their weapons when the gold runs dry?

Security analysts have warned: when criminals prosper unchecked, they do not retire—they expand. They evolve. They acquire wealth, and corrupt officials buy justice. They corrupt conscience. They infiltrate the state. And eventually, build militias. Haiti is bleeding from this very wound. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and parts of the Sahel, rebel armies born from resource plunder now challenge governments.

Ghana must not follow this path.

Liberia and Sierra Leone have tasted this poison. Ghana must not be next.

The Rise of the Galamsey Militias

In the Western, Ashanti, and Eastern regions, galamsey sites have morphed into fortified zones. Armed bandits patrol mining pits with military-grade weapons. Intelligence reports suggest that some of these groups operate with encrypted radios, drones, and tactical formations. They are no longer ragtag miners—they are proto-armies.

What happens when the gold runs out? What will these armed men do with their weapons? The answer is chilling: they will turn them on the state.

Already, police officers are being chased out of mining zones. Chiefs who speak out are threatened. Environmental officers are bribed or silenced. Judges are compromised. The rule of law is being replaced by the rule of the pit.

Poisoned Rivers, Poisoned Future

The Pra, Offin, and Ankobra rivers—once lifelines for communities—now carry mercury and cyanide. Children drink this water. Farmers irrigate with it. Pregnant women bathe in it. The long-term health consequences are catastrophic: kidney failure, birth defects, neurological disorders. This is not just environmental degradation. It is biological warfare against our own people.

When Inaction Signals State Failure

Political theorists define a failed state as one that cannot control its territory, protect its citizens, or enforce laws. When governments repeatedly fail to act against existential threats, they risk crossing that line. Ghana is not yet a failed state—but the signs are flashing red.

• Loss of territorial control: Galamsey zones are no-go areas for law enforcement.

• Collapse of public trust: Citizens believe the government is complicit or impotent.

• Erosion of institutions: Courts, police, and ministries are compromised.

• Rise of alternative power centres: Galamsey lords now rival traditional authorities.

If this trajectory continues, Ghana may wake up one day to find that sovereignty has been sold—not to foreign invaders, but to local warlords with excavators and guns.

The Choice Before Us

We must choose: galamsey wealth or Ghana’s survival. There is no middle ground. The NDC government must rise above politics and act in the interest of posterity. Let this administration be remembered not for its slogans, but for its courage.

Let the drums of urgency beat. Let the conscience of leadership rise. Let the Republic be defended.

President, The Nation Is Drowning—Declare the Emergency Now

President Mahama, this is not just a governance issue. It is a survival issue. The Republic is bleeding—its rivers poisoned, its forests razed, its youth recruited into lawless bands. The time for speeches is over. The time for action is now. This is your moment. History will not remember how many roads were built or how many speeches were made. It will remember whether you stood up when the nation was on its knees.

Your voice in opposition to your predecessor on illegal mining was legendary. Ghanaians believed in your promises to end galamsey in four months. They voted massively for you. The time to deliver is now.

Galamsey is not just destroying our forests and rivers—it is destroying our future. Children are drinking mercury-laced water. Farmers are watching their lands turn into wastelands. Chiefs are losing control. Police are outgunned. Judges are compromised. And the state is being hollowed out from within.

This is not a partisan issue. It is a patriotic one.

Declare a state of emergency. Mobilise the military. Freeze the assets of galamsey kingpins. Shut down the supply chains. Protect whistleblowers. And above all, send a message that the Republic of Ghana will not be auctioned to bandits with bulldozers. If we do not act now, we will wake up one day to find that the state has been captured—not by foreign invaders, but by our own silence.

The choice is ours: Galamsey wealth or Ghana’s survival.

Let the drums of urgency beat. Let the conscience of leadership rise. Let the Republic be defended.

This is not a call to action. It is a call to rescue.

Would you like this formatted into a printable layout or adapted for radio broadcast on the Research and Innovation Agenda? I can also help you script a ceremonial declaration or design a visual campaign scroll to accompany this message.