The Member of Parliament for Guan, Fred Agbenyo, has dismissed claims that President John Dramani Mahama once proposed the declaration of a state of emergency as the ultimate solution to illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, September 20, 2025, the Guan MP stressed that the galamsey menace requires a multifaceted and sustained approach, not a one-off intervention.

“When we look at the issues of galamsey, it is something that we need a multifaceted approach to address. People thought that it had lingered on for far too long; they believed that with eight months in office, we should have been able to eradicate something that had been there for decades. Practically, it is not possible,” Mr. Agbenyo explained.

He acknowledged ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ghana Police Service, and other state institutions to combat illegal mining, but noted that Ghanaians are demanding results.

“What Ghanaians are looking for is a solution. It is as if people are not even interested in hearing the things that you are doing to curb the issue,” he said.

Addressing recent discussions on whether a state of emergency should be declared, Mr. Agbenyo clarified that the current President never made such a suggestion while leading the opposition.

“I have heard the issue of declaring a state of emergency. Let me put on record that at no point, when NDC was in opposition, did the then Candidate John Dramani Mahama ever say that the solution to the galamsey issue is the declaration of a state of emergency. That is not to say that there were not people in the NDC who made that call,” he stated.