President John Mahama has urged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to intensify their advocacy and keep the government under pressure as part of efforts to end illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking at a meeting with CSOs at the presidency on Friday, October 3, the President stressed that continuous engagement and scrutiny would encourage the government to work harder in tackling the menace.

“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,” he said.

Read Also: National Security Council believes we can tackle galamsey without a State of emergency – Mahama

On the question of declaring a State of emergency to address the crisis, President Mahama noted that while he has the constitutional power to do so, he is guided by 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 explained.

He, however, gave assurance 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.

Read Also: Mahama says he’ll declare a State of emergency on galamsey if the Security Council advises

The President further indicated that the government is deploying more troops and committing additional resources to the fight, expressing confidence that these measures would yield results.

“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 said.

Reaffirming his administration’s resolve, President Mahama declared that the fight against galamsey would be pursued with determination.

“So we will continue to fight, I believe we will win the fight against galamsey.”