“Declaring a state of emergency won’t remove illegal mining permanently.

"Imposition of a state of emergency won’t address the negative impact of illegal mining such as the destruction of our rivers and forests,” the Administrator of Stool Lands, Gad Asorwoe Akwensivie has asserted.

Instead of a state of emergency, he advocates intensified education in mining communities particularly for chiefs, traditional leaders, landowners and citizens on responsible mining and enforcement of approved mining practices.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, September 26, 2025 at the sidelines of the Valuation and Estate Surveyors Annual Conference at Akosombo in the Eastern Region, Akwensivie said, declaring a state of emergency would rather impact negatively on the business environment and on commercial activities in the country.

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He said a state of emergency will for example affect the mobilization of stool land revenue by his officers due to the impact on restrictions on free movement of people generally.

“A state of emergency will disproportionately also affect vulnerable and marginalized people which can have significant negative impact on our economy,” he pointed.

“A state of emergency is a short-term proposal that won’t solve the root cause of the problem,” he added.

As a human rights lawyer, the Administrator thinks imposing a state of emergency will only suppress civil liberties unduly and provide an avenue for over-reach and abuse of power by security agencies “as we have seen in other places recently.”

Akwensivie further insisted that vague provisions in the emergency law could make law enforcement agencies take certain actions that are open to exploitation and abuse.

Whilst embarking on education, he also advocates for the training and deployment of more blue water guards to educate residents within mining communities on responsible mining.

GA

Also, watch some videos from the NPP’s protest below: