Ghanaians voted change: What does it mean for the fight against Galamsey?
On December 7, 2024, Ghanaians voted to remove the ruling party from power. It was clear that the country wanted something different—a change that might also impact the fight against 'galamsey' (illegal mining). Over the past year, galamsey had once again become one of the biggest issues in Ghana. News outlets like Adom and Citi News constantly reported on how illegal mining was destroying our rivers and water bodies. As a postgraduate student at UCC then, I saw the effects firsthand. Water shortages became common because the River Pra, which supplies parts of Cape Coast and Elmina, was polluted by illegal mining activities. This wasn’t just an environmental issue but a crisis that directly affected our daily lives. In his final State of the Nation Address in January 2025, the outgoing President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo admitted how much the fight against galamsey had cost his government politically. “The fight against galamsey led to the loss of several parliamentary se...