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Government Determined in Fighting Galamsey as Government, Civil Society to Meet at Jubilee House on Galamsey Menace
October 1, 2025
The government has announced a high-level engagement with major civil society organisations (CSOs) to deliberate on sustainable solutions to the illegal mining (galamsey) menace, which continues to threaten Ghana’s environment and natural resources.
The meeting, scheduled for Friday, October 3, 2025, at 12:00 noon at the Jubilee House, will bring together government officials, civil society leaders, and key stakeholders. It forms part of efforts by President John Dramani Mahama’s administration to create a unified national front in tackling galamsey.
Speaking ahead of the engagement, Dr. Patrick Essien, the Deputy Director of the Mining Department at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stressed that Ghana’s mining laws prohibit any company or individual including illegal miners from operating within river bodies. He emphasized that directives from the relevant authorities are clear and that government agencies must work with the EPA to ensure companies mining in forest concessions do so sustainably.
“The time for shifting blame has long passed. All stakeholders including government agencies and local communities must take collective responsibility to protect the environment, which is currently under severe threat,” he said.
The government described the upcoming engagement as a **platform for frank and constructive dialogue** aimed at harnessing collective expertise and perspectives from both government and civil society to address illegal mining, which has become one of Ghana’s most pressing environmental and socio-economic challenges.
