Bureau of Public Safety Calls for Reframing Galamsey as Direct Threat to Human Life
The Bureau of Public Safety is calling for a fundamental change in how Ghana confronts illegal mining, urging that it be recognised as a direct threat to human life rather than treated solely as an environmental or security issue.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, August 9, the Bureau’s Executive Director, Dr. Nana Yaw Akwada, warned that the long-term health consequences of galamsey are more severe than widely acknowledged.
“Galamsey is not an environmental issue; it is not just a security issue. If you break it down in layman’s terms, galamsey is a wellbeing issue and a survival issue,” he said.
According to Dr. Akwada, toxic chemicals from illegal mining are contaminating Ghana’s water bodies and food sources, making them unsafe for consumption and potentially reducing national life expectancy.
“Our water and food are being poisoned. Our lives are now going to be shorter than they used to be,” he cautioned, urging mining communities to consider the lasting health costs over short-term financial gains.
“It is not about the money you will get today, but the quality of life you will live, and the unborn generations will inherit,” he stressed.
Dr. Akwada said shifting the national conversation to view galamsey as a life-and-death matter could mobilise stronger public will to end the menace.
His comments come as the nation mourns the loss of senior government officials and military personnel who died in the August 6 Ghana Air Force helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
The crash claimed eight lives, including Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence; Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation; Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Samuel Aboagye, former parliamentary candidate; Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the NDC; and three crew members — Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The Z-9 helicopter, which departed Accra at 09:12 GMT en route to Obuasi for an anti-illegal mining operation, went “off the radar” shortly after takeoff. A search-and-rescue operation later confirmed there were no survivors.
Burial rites for the two Muslim victims — Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed and Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed — will be held today, Sunday, August 10, at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra, followed by interment at the Military Cemetery. An inter-denominational state funeral for all eight victims will take place on Friday, August 15, 2025, at the Black Star Square.
