Galamsey devastation nearing irreversible levels – Speakers at ‘Kronti ne Akwamu’ lecture

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has held the 20th edition of its annual Kronti ne Akwamu Public Lecture at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, where speakers delivered a stark warning about the accelerating destruction of Ghana’s forests, lands, and water bodies due to illegal mining.

Chairman of the event, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, issued a striking metaphor to underscore the scale of environmental loss.

He lamented that while scientists in other countries extract venom from forest snakes for medicinal advancement, Ghana is rapidly losing entire ecosystems.

“Illegal mining has scraped off all our wildlife and stripped our forests bare.”

“What we have left are empty pits filled with dangerous chemicals. If the issue of galamsey is not addressed immediately, we will reach a point of no return,” Prof. Frimpong-Boateng cautioned.

This year’s keynote speaker, investigative and environmental journalist Erastus Asare Donkor, delivered an alarming assessment of the crisis.

He revealed that 60% of Ghana’s lands and water bodies have been compromised by illegal mining, describing the nation as “a country bleeding from wounds inflicted on its conscience.”

According to him, reclaiming a single acre of land costs USD 32,000, a burden he argued is unsustainable for a country already struggling with environmental management.

As of 15 October 2025, he disclosed that five forest reserves have been marked “red,” indicating severe incursions by miners using heavy excavators, while 27 others are coded “yellow,” signifying zones under significant threat.

Rivers including the Pra, Offin, Ankobra, and Praga were listed as heavily contaminated, with pollutants “well known to researchers and policymakers, yet still unaddressed.”

Erastus also highlighted the grave health risks to mining communities, particularly the widespread use of cyanide.

“Cyanide poisons the air, water and even the skin. Exposure whether through inhalation, ingestion, or contact can lead to serious illness or death.” he warned.

Delivering a solidarity message, the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Berenice Owen-Jones, called for an honest confrontation of the forces enabling galamsey.

She stressed that the fight requires exposing those who fund and empower illegal mining operations.

“We must tackle the issue of galamsey head-on.”

“Many of the heavy equipment used in illegal mining are being sponsored and facilitated by powerful individuals some within Ghana and others outside the country,” she said.

The event featured with an interactive question-and-answer session, during which participants proposed strategies to combat the galamsey menace, reaffirming the urgency of coordinated national action.