State of Emergency Not Necessary-NPP's Hackman

Hackman Owusu-Agyemang: State of Emergency Not a Quick Fix for Galamsey

September 18,2025

Chairman of the NPP Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, has cautioned that declaring a state of emergency will not, by itself, solve Ghana’s illegal mining (galamsey) crisis.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Wednesday, September 17 witnessed by vistanewsgh.com — he said while he would support the measure if it proved effective, emergency powers must not be treated as a shortcut.

“If that is the way to go to correct the situation, yes, then I’ll support it. But is it the way to go? You just don’t get up and say, declare a state of emergency. What are the details? What are we declaring? And what happens after that?” he questioned.

Mr. Owusu-Agyemang stressed that Ghana’s response must be anchored in clear steps and measurable outcomes rather than slogans. He warned that rushing into such a decision without a well-defined plan could worsen the situation.

“The state of emergency is not something that you do just like that. You have to go through certain motions, and you have to give the populace advice and explain why you are doing it,” he explained.

While acknowledging the urgency of tackling galamsey, he argued that the solution must be comprehensive. “Water is very important, so the earlier we find the solution today, the better. If the state of emergency is the one that should do it, then let’s do it. But if there are other ways of doing it, let’s explore them as well,” he said.

He urged those calling for the drastic measure to clearly outline how it would achieve results. “If you have a state of emergency and you don’t achieve the result, then you would have really disturbed the constitutional processes for nothing,” he warned.