The Fix The Country Movement has issued a strong warning to the government, declaring that the youth of Ghana are prepared to take matters into their own hands if authorities fail to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Speaking on Eyewitness News after the group’s protest at the Revolutionary Square in front of the Jubilee House on Monday, September 22, a convener of the Movement, George Aggrey, expressed disappointment in the government’s response to the crisis, describing it as weak and unacceptable in the face of what he called an existential threat.
“If the government says it is not time to declare a state of emergency on the galamsey, to be honest, I think it is not a good statement to make,” Aggrey said.
“I don’t know what extent the government wants it to get to before they see it as a state of emergency. So for me and the teeming youth that joined the protest today, what we are saying is: if the government fails to declare a state of emergency on this issue, then the youth of the land—we will declare a state of emergency.”
The protest, which coincided with Ghana’s Founder’s Day, called for immediate and decisive action against the widespread destruction caused by illegal mining.
Protesters held placards and banners, urging President John Dramani Mahama to honour the legacy of Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, by defending the country’s land, water bodies, and future.
The group argued that the environmental destruction caused by galamsey threatens the country’s food security, access to clean water, and the very survival of future generations.
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