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New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful Dr. Bryan Acheampong has called for a 90-day suspension of all mining activities across Ghana to help restore the country’s polluted rivers and degraded environment.
Speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday, October 15, Dr. Acheampong said the country must take bold and uncompromising action to safeguard its natural resources, even if it comes with short-term financial sacrifices.
“Everybody should stop mining in this country. Regardless of the financial consequences, we must agree that for the next 90 days—during the rainy season—all mining should stop,” he declared.
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Dr. Acheampong clarified that his proposal was not a declaration of a state of emergency but rather a call for a national consensus to allow nature to recover.
“Let’s clean up our water bodies first and then discuss how to resume mining responsibly. I am not suggesting a state of emergency, but mining, wherever it is happening, must stop now,” he emphasized.
Using a vivid analogy, he likened Ghana’s fight against environmental destruction to trying to repair a moving train.
“We cannot fix the tyre or the truck of a train that’s in motion. As long as it’s speeding, we need to agree to stop,” he said.
Dr. Acheampong’s remarks come amid growing public outrage over the worsening impact of illegal mining (galamsey) on Ghana’s rivers, forests, and rural communities — a crisis that continues to threaten the nation’s water security and ecosystem.
Story By: Afia Ohenewaa Akyerem