‎Zanetor Rawlings warns against calls to free arrested galamseyers

‎The Minister of Environment, Dr Zanetor Agyemang Rawlings, has urged the public to stop making phone calls to secure the release of persons arrested for illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
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‎She stressed that illegal mining continues to destroy lives and the environment, insisting that individuals engaged in the practice must be arrested and made to face the full rigours of the law.
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‎Dr Rawlings made the remarks at a climate forum organised by Media General in Accra on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, under the theme “Building Climate Security Resilience.”
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‎The Klottey-Korle Member of Parliament expressed concern over what she described as attempts by some individuals to use their influence to secure the release of suspected illegal miners.
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‎“Let’s stop phone calling to release those who we know are knowingly poisoning our waters. Enough is enough! If we catch people stealing, you hardly find people calling for them to be freed; why do we have people speaking for those who are destroying the environment?” she questioned.
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‎She called on Ghanaians to collectively reject illegal mining and refrain from interfering with law enforcement efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
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‎“Let us all say no to galamsey; no one can place a phone call to free those arrested. I will not be the person to pick up phone calls to let,” she stated.
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‎The Minister further cautioned that Ghana risks losing its valuable natural resources and suffering irreversible environmental damage if illegal mining is allowed to continue unchecked.
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‎“The gold will get finished at some point, and when it does, and our environment is destroyed, we will have nothing,” she warned.
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‎Dr Rawlings emphasised that the country’s natural environment must be protected, arguing that the long-term value of environmental sustainability outweighs the temporary benefits of extracting mineral resources.
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‎“We cannot eat gold. There are countries that are not exploiting all their resources because they understand the value of their environment,” she added.
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‎She also highlighted the need for accountability in government spending, stating that every dollar allocated to the project under discussion must be properly accounted for.
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‎“As government of Ghana, we have to make sure we account for every single dollar spent on this project reason why it was taken back to the table,” she said.
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‎Her remarks reinforce calls for stronger enforcement of laws against illegal mining and greater public cooperation in efforts to protect Ghana’s water bodies, forests and other natural resources.