Accra, Feb. 26 – The Paediatric Society of Ghana has cautioned that illegal small-scale mining, commonly known as galamsey, is inflicting profound and potentially irreversible harm on children across the country.
In an open letter addressed to the President and jointly signed by Dr Hilda Mantebea Boye, President, and Dr Gabrielle Obeng-Koranteng, General Secretary, the Society urged authorities to classify the situation as a national child health emergency requiring urgent intervention.
The medical body noted that abandoned mining pits have led to fatal drownings, while the environmental fallout from galamsey has introduced hazardous substances — including mercury, lead, arsenic and cyanide — into water bodies, farmlands and the food chain. These toxins, it explained, expose pregnant women and children through contaminated water, fish, crops and even household dust.
According to the Society, heavy metals readily cross the placenta and can also be transmitted through breast milk, placing unborn babies and infants at significant risk during critical stages of brain development. Scientific evidence, it stated, shows there is no safe threshold for exposure to such toxins. Consequences include permanent cognitive impairment, lower IQ levels, speech and developmental delays, behavioural disorders, anaemia, stunted growth, organ damage and increased vulnerability to chronic illnesses later in life.
Beyond individual health outcomes, the Society warned of broader socio-economic repercussions. Children affected by toxic exposure often demonstrate poorer academic performance and higher dropout rates, which ultimately translate into diminished productivity and lifetime earnings.
Citing estimates from the World Health Organization, the letter highlighted that lead exposure alone costs low- and middle-income countries hundreds of billions of dollars annually in lost economic productivity. It added that Ghana could face escalating healthcare expenditures, including dialysis, cancer treatment and long-term disability care, thereby placing additional strain on public finances.
The Society proposed several urgent measures, including:
A formal declaration of galamsey as a child health emergency
Protection and continuous monitoring of water sources serving schools and maternal populations
Nationwide screening for heavy metal exposure in high-risk districts
Strict enforcement of laws against illegal mining
Establishment of long-term child development surveillance programmes
Integration of child health impact assessments into mining and environmental policies
It stressed that the effects of illegal mining extend beyond environmental degradation, describing it as a cycle that undermines public health, weakens human capital and compromises sustainable development.
The Society concluded that safeguarding children from the dangers of galamsey is not only a medical obligation but also an economic and moral imperative central to Ghana’s future competitiveness and national progress.
GHBUSS
26 February 2026
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