Challenging Heights has called on Ghana’s government to fully implement the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development (RCOMSDE) Programme as a legacy to Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Alhaji Dr. Murtala Mohammed, and six others killed in Wednesday’s helicopter crash.
The ministers died en route to launch an anti-illegal mining initiative in Obuasi a mission the NGO says must now accelerate.
The tragedy underscores galamsey’s human cost beyond environmental ruin. Children in mining zones face mercury poisoning, respiratory diseases, and trafficking. Last week, Challenging Heights and police rescued 25 Nigerian girls forced into prostitution at a Western Region mining camp. Rivers like the Pra and Ankobra remain contaminated, threatening public health and water security. “We cannot stand by while this practice steals our future,” the group warned.
Challenging Heights, which supports victims’ families, urged concrete steps: prosecute child labour employers, ensure universal education access, strengthen social protection programmes, and provide medical/psychological aid to rescued minors. Economic alternatives through RCOMSDE, they argue, are critical to breaking poverty cycles driving illegal mining.
“The ministers’ deaths demand unwavering action,” the statement emphasized, urging Ghana to transform grief into systemic change. As toxic mining fuels child exploitation and ecological collapse, the NGO’s appeal spotlights a national reckoning long deferred.
