President John Dramani Mahama has rejected claims that he promised to declare a state of emergency to tackle illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, saying such a commitment was never made.
Speaking to Ghanaians in the New York area of the United States on Friday, September 25, 2026, President Mahama sought to clarify what he described as reports that he had announced plans to invoke emergency powers against illegal mining.
“They said I said a state of emergency. I never ever said that. I never ever said I’ll declare a state of emergency,” he said.
The President acknowledged that a state of emergency can be useful in addressing serious crises but argued that it should be treated as a measure of last resort.
According to him, such declarations are ordinarily more effective when applied to a specific geographical area, allowing government to concentrate its resources and security operations before lifting the emergency once the problem has been addressed.
“But states of emergency are useful, but you declare them as a last resort,” Mr Mahama said, adding that galamsey was occurring across 10 regions of Ghana, raising questions about where such an emergency would practically be declared. Citi Newsroom+1
The President’s comments have revived an ongoing political debate over whether he or the National Democratic Congress (NDC) made a campaign promise in 2024 to declare a state of emergency over illegal mining.
What did the NDC manifesto say?
A review of the NDC’s 2024 Resetting Ghana manifesto indicates that illegal mining was addressed, but there was no stated commitment to declare a state of emergency over galamsey.
An independent review by GhanaFact found that illegal mining was mentioned seven times in the manifesto, but the document did not contain a proposal to declare a state of emergency. The party’s 120-day Social Contract similarly did not include such a commitment. Ghana Fact+1
Among the measures outlined were restrictions on illegal and new mining activities in forest reserves, environmental protection initiatives and measures aimed at dealing with mining-related degradation.
The absence of a state-of-emergency pledge from the manifesto is significant because the document was presented by the NDC as its social contract with voters. NDC
What does Parliament’s record show?
The issue also came before Parliament in November 2025.
Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, rejected claims that the NDC or then-candidate Mahama had promised to declare a state of emergency over galamsey.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mr Ayariga said the party’s manifesto contained its campaign commitments and challenged anyone making the claim to produce evidence from the former presidential candidate’s campaign appearances.
He argued that recordings existed of Mr Mahama’s rallies and public statements and that none showed him making such a commitment. Modern Ghana
Who actually made the call in 2024?
The demand for a state of emergency was, however, a prominent part of Ghana’s public debate over galamsey in 2024.
Organised Labour, the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Office of the Chief Imam and other civil-society groups publicly called for stronger action.
In September 2024, a multi-stakeholder coalition called on the government to invoke Article 31 of the 1992 Constitution and declare a state of emergency to deal with illegal mining. The coalition included the Media Coalition Against Galamsey, Trades Union Congress, Ghana Federation of Labour, Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Christian Council of Ghana, Office of the Chief Imam and other civil-society organisations. Ghana Business News+1
The calls were therefore part of a broader civil-society and organised-labour campaign during the 2024 election period, rather than evidence by themselves that Mr Mahama had adopted the proposal as an official campaign pledge.
Sammy Gyamfi’s clarification
The NDC’s position has also been addressed by its Communications Director, Sammy Gyamfi.
Mr Gyamfi has said the NDC, as a party, never officially endorsed calls for a state of emergency over galamsey, although individual members of the party may have expressed support for the proposal.
He argued that official party positions could not be inferred from statements made by individual NDC members and maintained that the party’s recognised spokespeople had not adopted the call. MyJoyOnline+1
Where did the confusion come from?
Part of the confusion appears to have arisen from simplified descriptions of the NDC’s proposed approach to galamseyduring the 2024 campaign.
In public commentary, various elements of the party’s anti-galamsey agenda were sometimes presented together with the idea of declaring a state of emergency. That association subsequently became part of political arguments over whether Mr Mahama had made such a promise.
However, the documentary record reviewed here draws a distinction between the measures explicitly contained in the NDC’s manifesto and calls for a state of emergency made by civil-society and organised-labour groups.
The available evidence reviewed by Kumasimail.com does not establish a direct statement by Mr Mahama, during the 2024 campaign, in which he promised to declare a state of emergency over galamsey.
What the evidence establishes
The evidence currently available points to three separate facts.
First, President Mahama has now expressly denied that he ever said he would declare a state of emergency over illegal mining. His September 25, 2026 remarks in New York are consistent with that position. Pulse Ghana+1
Second, the NDC’s 2024 manifesto and 120-day Social Contract contain anti-galamsey measures but do not state a commitment to declare a state of emergency. Ghana Fact+1
Third, the demand for a state of emergency was strongly advanced in 2024 by organised labour, faith-based organisations, media and civil-society groups. Christian Council of Ghana+1
On the evidence reviewed, therefore, the claim that John Mahama personally promised during the 2024 campaign to declare a state of emergency over galamsey is not supported by the NDC manifesto or the documented statements identified above.
This does not mean that emergency powers have never been discussed by the Mahama administration. Indeed, the question has remained part of the broader national debate over how to confront illegal mining. The key distinction is between discussing or retaining the option of a state of emergency and having made a campaign promise to declare one.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
