Dr Agyemang: Galamsey Fight Must Match Urgency of National Tragedy Response

Abuakwa South MP Dr Kingsley Agyemang is calling for the fight against illegal mining to be waged with the same swiftness and seriousness that Ghana shows in moments of national tragedy.

His appeal comes in the wake of Wednesday’s helicopter crash that killed eight people, including Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, who were en route to an anti-galamsey assignment in Obuasi.

Dr Agyemang, who was a former schoolmate of the late Defence Minister, said the incident was a stark reminder of the unseen risks borne daily by public servants in the line of duty.

“If these gallant men were on their way to confront the scourge of illegal mining, then the fight against galamsey must now assume the same urgency with which we respond to death itself,” he stressed in a statement issued Thursday.

While expressing condolences to the bereaved families, the lawmaker underscored that the truest tribute to the victims would be a decisive, sustained crackdown on illegal mining across the country.

“We owe them more than words; we owe them action,” he said, urging government agencies, traditional authorities, and citizens to unite in safeguarding the nation’s lands and water bodies from destruction.