The Media Relations Officer at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, has stated that the calls for a declaration of a state of emergency to fight galamsey must first be backed by actionable policies.
According to him while the call remains a vital step in fighting the menace, there is the need for accompanying mechanisms to give effect to such declarations.
Speaking on the AM Show on JoyNews on Monday, July 1,2025, Schandorf explained that at the moment, government is focused on deploying the right measures that will make such declarations yield the results.
This he said is not an excuse for the present non-declaration, adding that the declaration of a state of emergency remains a viable alternative on the table. "The truth of the matter is that, again I am reiterating, the calls for a state of emergency were valid back then and they still are appropriate in our current circumstances; except that if you're going to declare a state of emergency and you have not put in the relevant mechanisms that will give the effect to that declaration, then perhaps the declaration itself may be moot, it may be much to do about nothing", Schandorf noted.
