Galamsey is a Moral and Political Crisis and Requires National Consensus to Address – Prof. Atuire at Second Gyekye Memorial Lecture
A Professor of Philosophy and a Health Ethicist, Prof. Caesar Alimsinya Atuire, has described galamsey as a moral and political crisis that, in addition to being an environmental or legal issue, demands a national consensus to address its root causes and long-term consequences.
Delivering the second Kwame Gyekye Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at the University of Ghana, Prof. Atuire spoke on the theme “Coloniality, Citizenship and Galamsey: Rethinking Illegal Gold Mining as a Moral and Political Crisis in Ghana.” He challenged Ghanaians to shift from reactive responses to a more profound ethical reckoning of the crisis, rooted in Ghana’s colonial past and its present governance gaps.
“Galamsey is a response to dispossession and exclusion. It is a symptom of structural injustices that continue to deprive communities of fair access to the nation’s natural wealth,” he said.
Prof. Atuire, who also serves as Co-Associate Director of Oxford Global Health and President of the International Association of Bioethics, described illegal mining as a “wicked problem,” which is a complex and evolving challenge that, he noted, cannot be solved by force or policy shortcuts alone.
The Professor of Philosophy, in addition to diagnosing the problems at play in the galamsey menace, proposed the establishment of a Natural Resources Consensus in which stakeholders engage in participatory governance, ethical decision-making and transparent benefit-sharing.
Citing the late Prof. Kwame Gyekye’s concept of moderate communitarianism, he argued that the solution lies in moving away from adversarial politics and towards a shared sense of responsibility and civic engagement.
“Let’s stop seeing galamsey as a ‘YOU’ problem. It is a ‘WE’ problem,” he stressed. “What we need is an ethical shift, a return to values that promote the common good through inclusive dialogue and trust.”
He made a case for a transformation of governance, ethics and citizenship that reclaims Ghana’s natural resources for the common good, both present and future, guided by lessons from Gyekye’s philosophical legacy.
Prof. Atuire also suggested greater involvement of the University through collaborative research across departments to better understand the complexities of the issue and to develop a model tailored to Ghana’s context, one that can guide the nation in effectively addressing the galamsey crisis and set it on a path to sustainable success.
The lecture was chaired by Emeritus Prof. Ivan Addae-Mensah, FGA, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, who eulogised Prof. Kwame Gyekye for his momentous contributions to African thought and philosophy. He remarked that the lecture was timely, as it proposes several communal solutions to address the pressing issue of illegal mining confronting the nation.
The event also marked the launch of the Prof. Kwame Gyekye Foundation, led by Sir Sam Jonah. The Foundation is an initiative established to promote the enduring legacy and scholarship of the late philosopher.
Additionally, the Pro Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Gordon A. Awandare, launched the published lecture from the inaugural event held last year, which was delivered by Prof. Martin Odei Ajei, a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Professor of Philosophy and Classics at the University of Ghana.
The lecture series honours the legacy of Prof. Kwame Gyekye, a pioneering African Philosopher known for his work on democracy, communitarianism and African moral thought. The annual event brought together scholars, policy makers, family of the late Prof. Kwame Gyekye and members of the University community and the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences to reflect on pressing national issues through the lens of philosophical inquiry.
