Professor Ransford Gyampo has forcefully defended his position on illegal mining, insisting that his long-standing opposition to galamsey has not changed despite recent videos circulating online seeking to suggest otherwise.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) and political science lecturer says he remains deeply concerned about the devastating impact of illegal mining on Ghana’s forests, rivers and future, but believes any serious assessment of the government’s performance must acknowledge both what has been done and what remains to be done.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, Prof. Gyampo rejected suggestions that his recent comments amounted to an endorsement of the government’s handling of the galamsey crisis.
According to him, his position is much more nuanced: the fight against illegal mining is ongoing, the measures being implemented deserve recognition, but the persistence of the menace means government must go further.
Prof. Gyampo began his intervention by making his position unmistakably clear. He said his opposition to illegal mining remains unchanged and that anyone who has followed his advocacy with an objective mind should understand that he has consistently called for decisive action against the menace.
His clarification comes amid renewed public debate over his comments during TV3’s The Key Points, where he acknowledged that galamsey remains a major problem while also pointing to steps taken by the current administration.
For Gyampo, acknowledging government action does not mean declaring victory. Rather, he argues that responsible commentary requires looking at the measures introduced, assessing their effectiveness and then demanding stronger action where those measures have failed to eliminate the problem.
One of the most politically significant aspects of Prof. Gyampo’s argument is his comparison between the current administration and what he says he experienced when he was previously at the forefront of the anti-galamsey campaign.
He recalled confronting authorities who, according to him, openly expressed fears that taking aggressive action against illegal miners could cost their political parties votes. He also alleged that he encountered officials who denied the scale of illegal mining, attempts to divide civil society groups, efforts to silence activists, threats and attacks, as well as ministers who allegedly refused invitations to engage on the issue.
Against that background, Gyampo says he sees an important difference in the current government’s posture.
He argues that the government has at least acknowledged that galamsey is a serious national problem and has introduced measures intended to confront it.
Prof. Gyampo proceeded to outline what he considers some of the key interventions undertaken by the government. Among them, he mentioned the work of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), the establishment of new tribunals intended to expedite galamsey-related cases and the repeal of legislation he says had enabled mining in forest reserves.
He also cited the state’s takeover of forest areas designated as no-go zones, reforms to the mining licensing regime and the revocation of what he described as improperly issued licences following the December 7, 2024 elections.
Other measures he highlighted include attempts to decentralise the mining licensing process, tracking excavators entering through Ghana’s ports, reclaiming degraded lands and engaging civil society organisations rather than antagonising them.
He further pointed to alternative livelihood programmes, including the Blue Water Initiative, which he said had trained and deployed almost 1,000 young people to help protect Ghana’s water bodies.
According to Gyampo, more than 250 excavators and other pieces of mining equipment have also been seized, while more than 250 people are currently being prosecuted in connection with illegal mining.
But Is That Enough?
This is where Prof. Gyampo’s argument becomes particularly important. According to him, he does not claim that government has solved galamsey. In fact, he explicitly acknowledges that the menace continues despite the interventions.
And that admission is arguably the strongest part of his position.
Ghana’s galamsey crisis cannot be measured simply by the number of excavators seized, people arrested or policies announced. The ultimate question is whether Ghana’s forests are being protected, whether polluted rivers are recovering and whether illegal mining is actually being pushed out of communities.
Ghana Seems To Have Lost The Fight Against Galamsey
If the answer remains no, then government must expect increasingly louder demands for action. That, essentially, is the position Gyampo says he advanced during his television discussion.
The destruction of water bodies for short-term economic gain raises a fundamental question: What kind of Ghana will be left behind if the country fails to act decisively today?
This is why the argument cannot be reduced to NDC versus NPP. Galamsey has survived political administrations, political promises and repeated crackdowns. It has become a national governance challenge that demands sustained political will beyond election cycles.
For years, Ghana’s fight against galamsey has been entangled with politics. Governments have often faced the difficult choice between taking unpopular enforcement measures and protecting political support in mining communities.
But environmental destruction does not care which political party is in power.
The seizures, arrests, prosecutions, policy reforms and alternative livelihood programmes must ultimately translate into cleaner rivers, protected forests and a measurable reduction in illegal mining.