By Rashid Obodai

Copyright rainbowradioonline

In the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, ECOSIDE is defined as “the destruction of the natural environment, especially when this is deliberate”.

This article, being written as Ghana commemorates September 21, 2025, (Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday) as Founders Day, examines the devastating environmental impacts of galamsey – the deliberate illegal small-scale gold mining in Ghana, framing it as a form of, ECOSIDE, that undermines the nation’s ecosystems amid escalating climate change pressures. Situated within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the analysis highlights how galamsey exacerbates deforestation, water pollution, and biodiversity loss, directly conflicting with SDGs such as Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), Goal 13 (Climate Action), and Goal 15 (Life on Land). Drawing on Kwame Nkrumah’s religio-political philosophy of Consciencism, which integrates ethical socialism, African humanism, and sustainable stewardship, the paper argues that contemporary deviations from Nkrumah’s vision represent a profound dishonor to his legacy. Bipartisan failures by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) have perpetuated this crisis, prioritizing short-term economic gains over long-term ecological integrity. The National Symbols – Anthem and Pledge, have spirit-filled words that should create a solid value system for Ghana but that does not seem to be the case. The article evokes the tangible horrors of environmental degradation, urging a return to Nkrumahist principles for restorative justice and policy reform.

IntroductionI write this piece wearing multi-faceted hats of divinely inspired burning passion in the forms of; son of God, trained theologian interested in the theology of the environment, nation-builder, and a transgenerational thinker.Imagine the once-vibrant Pra, Ankobra, Densu Rivers; pristine waters now a murky brown sludge, carrying the metallic tang of mercury that stings the nostrils and coats the throat like a poisonous fog. The air hangs heavy with the acrid smoke from burning excavators, while the ground, stripped bare of its lush green canopy, crunches underfoot like brittle bones. This is the reality of galamsey in Ghana: a relentless assault on the senses that mirrors the broader assault on the nation’s ecosystems. Galamsey, derived from “gather them and sell,” has evolved from artisanal mining into a rampant ruthless and bitingly ravenous illegal “legal” industry, destroying forests, contaminating water bodies, and degrading arable lands. In the context of climate change, these activities amplify vulnerabilities, contributing to increased carbon emissions and reduced natural resilience against extreme weather events.

This ecoside – deliberate environmental destruction akin to genocide against nature, stands in stark contrast to the visionary ideals of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s founding president. Nkrumah’s philosophy emphasized sustainable development as integral to African liberation and self-reliance. Yet, bipartisan political failures have allowed galamsey to flourish, ignoring SDGs that Ghana committed to in 2016.

This article explores these intersections to bring academic discourse alive, evoking the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of a nation teetering on ecological collapse.

Nkrumah’s Religio-Political Philosophy and Vision for Sustainable Ghana

Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s Consciencism, a synthesis of materialism, idealism, and African traditional thought, posited that true independence required harmonizing economic progress with ethical and spiritual values. He envisioned a Ghana where development served the collective good, drawing on religio-political ideals that viewed the land as sacred – imbued with ancestral spirits and communal responsibility.

In his writings, Osagyefo advocated for a secular state that nonetheless integrated religious ethics into politics, emphasizing stewardship of natural resources as a moral imperative for African socialism.Advocating for a secular state, had more to do with saving religion from the poisonous political arrows, and nothing to do with his non-reverence of the Supreme God of Creation.Kwame Nkrumah’s era evoke a Ghana of fertile soils that yielded bountiful harvests, rivers teeming with life where the splash of fish and the chorus of frogs filled the night air, and forests alive with the rustle of leaves and the calls of exotic birds.

His policies, such as the Volta River Project, balanced industrialization with environmental considerations, aiming for sustainable growth that honored the African personality – a unified, self-determined identity rooted in harmony with nature.

Deviation from this vision today dishonors Nkrumah’s memory, transforming his dream of a prosperous, unified Ghana into a fragmented wasteland where short-sighted GREED prevails shamelessly and flying on highly destructive wings that gore at the nation’s heart and soul.Whither goeth Mother Ghana?

Galamsey’s Destruction of Ghana’s Ecosystems

The environmental toll of galamsey is visceral and unrelenting. Forests, once dense with the earthy scent of damp soil and blooming flora, now stand as scarred wastelands, the silence broken only by the mechanical roar of excavators digging into the earth’s flesh.Rivers like the Ankobra and Birim, polluted with heavy metals, emit a foul, chemical odor that burns the eyes and lingers on the skin, turning crystal-clear waters into toxic slurries that choke aquatic life and render them undrinkable.

With direct reference to what his happening in certain parts of Ghana, I know it for a fact that in a place like Agona Kwanyako, where clean water production has come to a halt, some natives of the area who live in Accra, when traveling back to the village, have to load yellow Kufuor gallons of water into their vehicles because that is the only way to be sure that they would not be exposed to poisonous water. That is how horrible the situation has become.Projections warn of dire futures: by 2030, unchecked pollution could necessitate water imports, as treatment plants in areas like Tarkwa falter under chemical loads, prompting proposals for significant tariff hikes (280%) by Ghana Water.

Such scenarios risk transforming Ghana into a failed state, where environmental degradation fuels economic collapse, social instability, and health epidemics.God, as the ultimate judge, will not intervene if humanity abdicates responsibility—echoing the proverb, “Heaven helps those who help themselves.”

Health impacts compound this nightmare: communities report the metallic taste in contaminated water leading to skin rashes that itch incessantly and respiratory issues from dust-laden air that rasps the lungs.Biodiversity loss is palpable – the absence of bird songs, the barren fields where crops once rustled in the breeze, signaling a collapse in ecosystem services essential for agriculture and livelihoods. Reports indicate over 75% reductions in water supply in galamsey hotspots, exacerbating community hardships and threatening biodiversity.

Putting it bluntly, galamsey is nothing but “environmental terrorism,” with visuals of poisoned rivers evoking a dystopian horror.Intersections with Climate Change and the SDGs

Galamsey intensifies climate change effects in Ghana, where deforestation releases stored carbon, amplifying global warming and local vulnerabilities like erratic rainfall and floods. This directly impedes SDG 13 by hindering climate resilience, while polluting water sources undermines SDG 6, and land degradation threatens SDG 15. Indicators of this crisis include the intensified heat waves that scorch the skin in deforested areas, and the muddy floods that carry the stench of decay, displacing communities and eroding soils.

Osagyefo Dr. Nkrumah’s emphasis on sustainable industrialization aligns with these goals, yet current practices represent a betrayal, turning potential progress into regression.Restoration efforts, such as reforestation initiatives, are proposed but remain inadequate without systemic change.

Bipartisan Failure: A Dishonor to Nkrumah’s Legacy

The persistence of galamsey underscores bipartisan complicity. Under NPP governance, initiatives like Operation Vanguard failed amid allegations of party officials’ involvement, allowing environmental destruction to escalate.

The NDC, too, has been accused of fueling the crisis through lax enforcement and political opportunism, with executives implicated in invasions of forest reserves – opening up a renewed fervor with which Ghanaians are voicing deep angst at the unbridled manner in which the ECOCIDE is baring its fangs at the nation.

This mutual failure ignores Nkrumah’s call for unified, ethical leadership, dishonoring his memory by prioritizing partisan gains over national stewardship – reminders of this betrayal being the protests echoing with chants and the bitter taste of polluted water in communities abandoned by both parties.Desecration of National Symbols: The Anthem and Pledge in the Face of GalamseyGhana’s National Anthem begins with a prayer: “God bless our homeland Ghana / And make our nation great and strong,” invoking divine favor while committing to defend freedom, humility, and honesty. Similarly, the National Pledge affirms: “I promise on my honour to be faithful and loyal to Ghana my motherland. / I pledge myself to the service of Ghana with all my strength and with all my heart. / I promise to hold in high esteem our heritage… / So help me God.” These texts, recited in schools and public ceremonies, embody a sacred covenant between citizens, nation, and God, emphasizing stewardship of the land as a heritage “won for us through the blood and toil of our fathers.”

Yet, galamsey desecrates these words profoundly. By poisoning rivers and deforesting lands, Ghanaians undermine the plea for God’s blessing on the “homeland,” transforming blessed resources into toxic wastelands. This contradicts the Anthem’s call to “defend forever the cause of Freedom and of Right,” as environmental destruction enslaves future generations to poverty and health crises, eroding national strength.

The Pledge’s vow to “uphold and defend the good name of Ghana” is mocked when international reports highlight the country’s ecological ruin, tarnishing its reputation. Moreover, invoking “So help me God” while consciously polluting creation defiles this divine appeal, as it ignores biblical mandates like Leviticus 25:23—”The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine”—which positions humans as temporary stewards, not owners entitled to exploitation.

Ghana’s galamsey crisis is not merely environmental but a moral and philosophical betrayal of Nkrumah’s vision. To honor his legacy, policymakers must transcend bipartisan failures, enforcing SDGs through sustainable alternatives like regulated mining and community-led restoration. Only then can the symphony of a healthy ecosystem, the fresh breeze through restored forests, the clear babble of purified rivers, return, ensuring a Ghana that Nkrumah would recognize as truly liberated and worth dying for though the blood and toil of those who laid their lives down for the birth of the new vibrant nation on, March 6, 1957.

Nkrumah Never Dies!!!Samuel Koku Anyidoho(Founder & CEO, MILLS Institute For Transformational Leadership Development).Email: Sitsoanyidoho1@yahoo.com16/09/2025