Henry Yeboah Yiadom-Boachie, former Member of Parliament for Techiman South, has expressed grave concerns about an impending ban on Ghana’s agricultural exports to the European Union, citing the need for urgent measures to mitigate the detrimental impact of illicit mining activities, commonly known as galamsey.
He stressed that detrimental chemicals utilized by illegal miners percolate into rivers and soil, thereby contaminating food crops.
The former Member of Parliament made these remarks on Techiman-based Winners FM 98.5mhz, on Friday, August 8, 2025.
Drawing on his mining sector expertise, he underscored the severe risks associated with these chemicals, including water body contamination, farmland degradation, and threats to food safety and security.
He noted that illegal miners often utilize hazardous substances like mercury, cyanide, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, arsenic compounds, and ammonium nitrate explosives, which frequently contaminate rivers, farmland, and the food chain, thereby poisoning water sources, degrading soil quality, and polluting crops including cocoa, cashew, and vegetables.
“My biggest concern, however, is how we are handling the fight against illegal mining (galamsey). I can say emphatically that if we continue on this path, very soon no European country will allow food imports from Ghana.
“Having worked in a mining company before, I understand the dangers involved, especially the use of harmful chemicals. As we speak, many Africans in Europe are beginning to reject Ghanaian food products over health fears linked to galamsey activities,” he stressed.
Mr. Yiadom-Boachie warned that failure to address the situation urgently could jeopardize the country’s major cash crops—cocoa and cashew—on the international market.
“This is a serious threat to the entire country. We must all come together to end it. Very soon, cash crops like cocoa and cashew will be rejected, so we have to act now,” stated the troubled former legislator.
