The President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Eric Abavare, has attributed Ghana’s failure to effectively combat illegal mining (galamsey) to what he describes as moral decay and leadership failure among the country’s elders and political class.
In a reflective Facebook post on Sunday, October 12, 2025, Prof. Abavare said the persistent destruction of water bodies and forest reserves is not merely a matter of inadequate enforcement but rather a symptom of deep-seated selfishness and disregard for future generations.
“Apart from the lack of political will, we have greedy, dotard elders and leaders in this country who don’t care one bit about anyone but themselves, their families, and friends. They don’t care about any unborn generation,” he wrote.
He said this attitude has fostered widespread disillusionment among the youth, many of whom feel justified in engaging in destructive mining because they believe the country’s leaders have already failed them.
Prof. Abavare argued that the galamsey crisis reflects a moral leadership vacuum, noting that Ghana’s elders have set a poor example of stewardship and integrity.
“We claim to have elders, yet they carry the cliché ‘miwua namiko’—to wit, ‘if I die, I’m no more.’ This mindset explains why the country is on autopilot,” he lamented.
He called for a national moral reawakening, urging the government and civic institutions to confront the root causes of greed, corruption, and short-term thinking that continue to undermine the fight against illegal mining.
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