The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ken Ashigbey, has sounded the alarm bells on the menace of illegal mining, locally called galamsey.

Speaking in an interview on ChannelOne TV on August 31, 2026, he said that there is evidence that shows that galamsey has spread to some areas in the country where it was previously absent about two years ago.

This situation, he indicated, was worrying because, in his view, the country stands a chance of stopping galamsey under President John Dramani Mahama.

He asserted that there is less than two years for this to be done because the President would become irrelevant because he would no longer be contesting for office.

“There are places where we're seeing galamsey happen today that was not happening in 2024. The level of impudence that we're seeing today, we're not seeing them in 2024. One of the elements that we've all considered is the issue of forests, the fact that there's some good work that has been done.

“But if you look at where we are going now, where now the people are becoming so bold that they can attack eight military men with a colonel, they get police people and they are able to confiscate (their weapons),” he fumed.

Their blood is on your hands – Ken Ashigbey blasts politically exposed 'galamsey kingpins'

He added, “So we are getting to a point of no return, and unfortunately for us, unfortunately, we have a president who does not have another tenure, so our best bet is this current president. Unfortunately, he does not have another two years to deal with it because very soon he will become a lame duck.”

The Chamber of Mines also pointed out that the government must put measures in place to ensure that mining in the country is done in an environmentally friendly manner.

He added that there must be a strong will to ensure that all persons implicated in cases of illegal mining, including politicians and traditional authorities, are dealt with in accordance with the laws of the country.

“We need to also deal with the issues that are currently confronting us. So I will not depart from holding the MCEs, DCEs, the chiefs, the police commanders in these communities (accountable),” he said.

Watch a video of his remarks below:

“We are getting to a point of no return” — Ghana Chamber of Mines CEO Ing. Ken Ashigbey warns that the growing boldness of illegal miners and attacks on security personnel point to a worsening galamsey crisis.

He calls for stronger accountability for local authorities and… pic.twitter.com/iJ8qy9cepP

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