Spokesperson for the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, has cautioned against treating the declaration of a state of emergency as an automatic solution to Ghana’s illegal mining crisis, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on August 31, 2026, Schandorf stressed that while such a measure could impose restrictions on mining activities and enable greater security deployment in affected areas, it would not by itself resolve the underlying causes of the problem.

“We should be careful not to consistently indicate or project a state of emergency as a certain magic wand, if once implemented, would automatically transform our fortunes,” he said.

Galamsey Fight: Call for state of emergency must go with key strategies - Lands ministry spokesperson

He noted that the practical implications and potential benefits of declaring a state of emergency must be carefully assessed.

Schandorf pointed out that some of the restrictions and security measures associated with such a declaration are already being pursued through the work of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS).

“I’m not equating the state of emergency to NAIMOS intervention. I’m just saying that we should be careful not to consistently project that as that magic wand that will transform our fortunes,” he added.

According to Schandorf, President John Dramani Mahama has maintained that any decision to declare a state of emergency would be guided by security assessments and taken only when necessary.

Based on the interventions currently underway, he said there is no immediate need for such a declaration.

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The focus, he insisted, should instead be on determining what additional results a state of emergency would deliver beyond the measures already being implemented by security and anti-illegal mining agencies.

The comments come amid continued public debate over the scale of environmental damage caused by galamsey, including the pollution of water bodies and destruction of forest reserves and farmlands.

Watch the video below.

Fight against illegal mining: Do we need a state of emergency or not?

Paa Kwesi Schandorf, Spokesperson for the Lands Ministry, cautions against treating a state of emergency as a “magic wand” for tackling illegal mining, stressing that its practical implications must be… pic.twitter.com/HW50slGpzr

— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) August 31, 2026