Fulfil anti-galamsey pledge or we strike – UTAG to Mahama

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has issued a strong ultimatum to President John Dramani Mahama, demanding the immediate fulfilment of his campaign promise to end illegal mining, or galamsey.

In a press release dated Sunday, July 20, UTAG’s National Executive Council (NEC), following an emergency meeting on July 17, expressed deep frustration with what they described as the government’s lacklustre response to the galamsey crisis.

They warned that if concrete action is not taken swiftly, they will consider nationwide industrial action.

While UTAG acknowledged limited progress made through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and recent moves by the Attorney General and EOCO to investigate politically connected individuals, they stressed that these efforts fall short.

The environmental destruction caused by illegal mining, they noted, continues at alarming levels.

Central to UTAG’s demand is President Mahama’s own anti-galamsey pledge, signed during the 2024 election campaign and witnessed by the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) and UTAG.

The pledge, UTAG argues, represents a binding social contract with the Ghanaian people, one that the President has yet to honour meaningfully since taking office.

UTAG outlined five key commitments from the pledge that they believe remain unfulfilled.

These include the President’s promise of an immediate and unequivocal condemnation of galamsey, a pledge of immediate action to halt illegal mining, describing it as a national emergency and the President’s vow to hold political actors accountable, including dismissing MMDCEs who tolerate galamsey.

UTAG pointed out that not a single official has been removed, even in heavily affected regions like Ashanti, Eastern, Western, and Ahafo.

They further alleged that ruling party members in these regions remain actively involved, with no visible consequences.

UTAG also urged the President to fulfil other promises, including the full repeal of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which controversially allowed mining in forest reserves.

In a final warning, UTAG made clear that if the government fails to act, they are prepared to use every legal means available, including strike action, to hold it accountable. Such a move could significantly disrupt the academic calendar nationwide, as has happened in the past.

“The time for rhetoric is over, the time for action is now,” UTAG concluded.