Economist Professor Godfred Bokpin has criticised the government’s handling of illegal mining (galamsey), warning that the lack of urgency is putting Ghana’s water security at serious risk.

Speaking at the 2025 ESG Sustainability Summit in Accra, Prof. Bokpin cautioned that galamsey continues to undermine the country’s economic stability, indicating that the government’s policy choices have not matched the scale of the crisis, with pollution threatening major water sources.

“If you tell me that you can destroy the environment and then later go and plant trees, look at the longevity. How long would it take to get the land to its original state? It’s not something to be contemplated,” he said.

"We deliver wonderful speeches from government and from the president, but the action on the ground is lacking. This government has been in power for almost eight months. If we were serious about ESG at the national level, we should already be seeing visible change in our water bodies.”

His concerns come as the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) raises fresh alarm over rising turbidity levels at the Winneba treatment plants.

Officials say they are now forced to double chemical quantities used to process heavily discoloured water from mining-affected intake points, warning that the facility could face shutdowns if the situation persists.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, who also serves as Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, in a formal letter last week directed the Attorney General to begin processes to revoke L.I. 2462, the legislative instrument regulating aspects of small-scale mining.

Technical Director for Lands at the Ministry, Joseph Osiakwan, speaking at the same summit, welcomed the move but stressed that while the revocation marks progress, significant time would still be needed to complete land reclamation exercises and operationalise the government’s new Blue Water Guard initiative.

“I don’t think it’s anything people should rubbish. Let’s wait and see the performance. Let’s give ourselves some time and measure. That is the way to go. Every government institution has to make provisions for ESG and sustainability. The NDPC has been identified as one of the institutions coordinating government efforts when it comes to reporting on SDGs and ESG,” he said.

The government says the Blue Water Guard initiative will provide a coordinated national response to illegal mining, combining law enforcement with long-term reclamation and protection measures.