Parliament on Tuesday saw a renewed call for urgent and decisive action against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, as the Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Miss Abena Osei Asare, urged the government to adopt a more comprehensive and well-resourced approach to combat the escalating environmental menace.

Contributing to the debate on the 2026 budget estimates, the MP stressed that the current budgetary allocation for anti-galamsey operations remains insufficient to achieve meaningful results.

She cautioned that without bold financial commitment, government agencies will remain overstretched and ineffective in the fight against the destruction of farmlands, water bodies, and forest reserves.

Miss. Osei Asare proposed the establishment of a Galamsey Emergency Programme, backed by substantial and sustained financing to coordinate nationwide interventions.

According to her, the scale and urgency of the crisis demand a structured programme that rallies all relevant state institutions and ensures consistent logistical and operational support.

She further suggested that the government can achieve better results by leveraging existing institutional infrastructure, including specialised offices such as the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), to streamline resource allocation and monitoring.

This, she argued, would help reduce duplication and ensure accountability in the use of funds allocated for the fight against illegal mining.

The Atiwa East MP emphasised that the consequences of galamsey are far-reaching—from polluted rivers and destroyed ecosystems to long-term public health risks—and therefore deserve priority attention within national planning.

She concluded her submission with a call on the government to demonstrate stronger political will by prioritising anti-galamsey measures and allocating the “right level of funding” to protect the country’s natural heritage for future generations.