Accra: The Paediatric Society of Ghana has issued an urgent warning that illegal mining, known as galamsey, poses a severe threat to children's health and brain development, with irreversible consequences for Ghana's future. The Society has called on government leaders to treat this as a national emergency requiring immediate action.
According to Ghana Web, in an open letter to the President, signed jointly by Dr. Hilda Mantebea Boye, President, and Dr. Gabrielle Obeng-Koranteng, General Secretary, the Society highlighted the dangers children face due to galamsey activities. They noted that children are at risk of drowning in open pits left by these illegal mining operations. Furthermore, the mining releases toxic substances such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and cyanide into water sources, soil, and the food chain.
The letter detailed how pregnant women and young children are exposed to contaminated drinking water, fish, crops, and household dust. These toxins can easily cross the placenta and enter breast milk, affecting children during their most critical developmental stages. Scientific evidence demonstrates that toxic exposure leads to permanent brain damage, reduced IQ and learning capacity, speech delays, behavioral disorders, anaemia, stunted growth, weakened immune systems, kidney and liver damage, and increased risk of chronic diseases later in life.
The damage extends beyond individual health, as children exposed to these mining toxins experience poor academic performance and higher dropout rates, which in turn reduces their productivity and earnings as adults. The Society emphasized that even unborn babies are not spared from heavy metal poisoning.
The letter referenced the World Health Organisation's estimates that lead exposure alone costs low and middle-income countries hundreds of billions of dollars annually in lost economic productivity. Ghana is facing mounting healthcare costs related to dialysis, cancer treatment, and disability support, which strain both the health system and national finances.
The Society urged the government to declare galamsey a child health emergency, protect and monitor all water sources serving pregnant women, children, and schools, and screen for heavy metals in high-risk districts nationwide. They called for the enforcement of zero tolerance against illegal mining and the establishment of long-term child development monitoring programs. Additionally, the Society recommended including child health impact assessments in all mining and environmental policies.
The letter stressed that strong human capital, rather than natural resources alone, determines a nation's success. It warned that galamsey creates a destructive cycle that damages the environment, undermines health and productivity, and weakens Ghana's capacity to manage resources responsibly. Protecting children from galamsey was framed as a moral, medical, and economic imperative essential to Ghana's long-term development and competitiveness.