Mahama vows to go after ‘big fishes’ in galamsey fight, reveals intensified prosecutions

President John Dramani Mahama has vowed to shift his administration’s anti-galamsey strategy toward the powerful financiers and masterminds behind illegal mining operations in Ghana.

Delivering the 2026 State of the Nation Address to Parliament, President Mahama described galamsey as a “grave threat” to the nation’s environment, water bodies, public health, and security, noting that past enforcement efforts often failed to capture those most responsible.

“Prosecution of persons engaged in illegal mining has been intense,” the President said. “However, efforts have been behind Galamsey operations, rather than targeting only the little fish, low-level offenders. In all these Galamsey operations, there are big fish who never get caught.”

To tackle this, Mahama announced the deployment of specialized prosecutorial teams tasked with fast-tracking illegal mining cases, presenting evidence effectively, and pursuing the confiscation and forfeiture of equipment and proceeds derived from illicit operations.

He highlighted that 140 communities are particularly prone to illegal mining activities and emphasized that targeting the so-called “big fish” is key to dismantling the networks sustaining the galamsey trade.

The President’s announcement signals a renewed and more strategic crackdown, aiming not only to punish offenders but also to protect forests, rivers, and Ghana’s natural resources from further devastation.