President John Mahama has said the National Security Council is confident that Ghana can win the fight against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, without the need to declare a State of emergency.

Speaking at a meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at the presidency on Friday, October 3, the President explained that while he has the constitutional power to declare a State of emergency, he acts only on the advice of the National Security Council.

“Yes, I have the power to do it, but the President acts on the advice of the National Security Council. And as at now, the National Security Council believes that we can win the fight against galamsey,” he said.

He, however, said that he would not hesitate to take that step if the situation changed. “I want to assure you that the day they advise me otherwise, that boss, now we need a State of emergency, I will not hesitate declaring,” he added.

According to the President, additional measures such as deploying more security personnel and committing extra resources would be considered if the need arose.

“As we deploy more troops, and we apply more resources to the fight, I am sure that gradually we will begin to see that we are winning the fight,” he stated.

He assured the CSOs that their engagement would not end with one meeting but would form part of a continuous dialogue.

“This is not going to be a one-stop dialogue; we are going to continue to update you. We need your support, we need your criticism, your advocacy, we need your pressure, continue to put our feet on the fire, because that will encourage us to also continue to work harder.”

The President reaffirmed his government’s determination to end galamsey. “So we will continue to fight, I believe we will win the fight against galamsey.