The Minority Caucus in Parliament has warned President John Dramani Mahama that illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, poses a grave threat to Ghana’s environment and democratic governance.

The concerns were contained in a press statement signed by the Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, following a meeting between the President and Parliamentary Leadership at the Jubilee House on Monday, December 22, 2025.

According to the statement, the Minority Caucus described the situation as a “clear and present danger” to national stability, noting that environmental destruction linked to galamsey has intensified at an alarming rate since January 2025.

The statement cited reports by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Authority which revealed “high levels of poisonous metals contaminating water and soils in small-scale mining areas”.

It further referenced verified data from A Rocha Ghana and Global Forest Watch showing significant increases in river turbidity and forest cover loss.

The Minority also accused the GoldBod of indirectly legitimising illegal mining through weak traceability systems.

“The lack of rigorous chain-of-custody risks making the state a formal purchaser of illegally mined gold, thereby sanctioning environmental destruction,” the statement said.

Questioning the effectiveness of the Blue Water Guards, the Caucus urged President Mahama to order fundamental reforms at the GoldBod, stressing that “Ghana cannot become a state-sponsored conduit for illegal gold.”