"Show Us Clean Rivers or We Won't Believe You" – Lawyer Demands Real Galamsey Results

Talk is cheap, and Ghanaians have heard enough promises about fighting illegal mining—now they want to see rivers running clear again before they believe any government is serious about the fight.

Victoria Bright, an international corporate lawyer and entrepreneur, has thrown down the gauntlet to the government, insisting that the battle against galamsey will only be credible when citizens can witness tangible environmental recovery with their own eyes. Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile program on Saturday, January 10, Bright argued that years of pledges and press conferences mean nothing if Ghana's water bodies remain the color of muddy chocolate instead of their natural, pristine state.

Her message is straightforward: results matter more than rhetoric, and Ghanaians are tired of being told progress is happening when their rivers tell a different story.

Bright's comments cut to the heart of a credibility crisis that has plagued anti-galamsey efforts across multiple administrations. No matter which party sits in government, the promises sound familiar—task forces will be deployed, offenders will be prosecuted, equipment will be seized, and water bodies will be restored.

Yet walk to almost any river in mining communities across Ghana, and the evidence suggests otherwise. The Pra, the Ankobra, the Offin, and countless other rivers that once ran clear now flow brown, thick with sediment from illegal mining activities upstream.

"We need a huge push on galamsey until our water bodies start changing colour back to their natural colours. People need to see it to believe it," Bright declared during the television discussion.

Her point resonates with ordinary Ghanaians who have watched government after government announce anti-galamsey operations while their drinking water sources continue deteriorating. The visibility of the damage—rivers you can literally see are polluted—makes empty promises particularly frustrating.

Bright explained that the environmental destruction serves as a constant, visible reminder that undermines public confidence in any claims of progress. Unlike some policy issues where results might be abstract or difficult for citizens to measure, galamsey's impact is right there in plain sight.

"As long as our rivers remain polluted, people will feel the galamsey fight is not being won," she noted, capturing the disconnect between government communications and public perception.

This observation highlights a fundamental challenge in governance: managing public trust requires more than announcements and statistics. When citizens can directly observe problems persisting, no amount of official statements will convince them that solutions are working.

For the fight against illegal mining to gain public buy-in and support, Ghanaians need to witness actual environmental recovery. That means rivers gradually clearing up, fish returning to waters where they disappeared, and communities being able to use their local water sources again without fear of contamination.

Bright's comments also touched on what many observers see as the core problem: inconsistent or inadequate enforcement. Successive governments have created task forces, arrested illegal miners, and destroyed equipment. Yet the activity continues, often resuming shortly after enforcement operations move to different areas.

According to Bright, this pattern reinforces public skepticism. People see the same rivers polluted year after year, leading them to conclude that either enforcement isn't strong enough, or powerful interests are protecting galamsey operators from facing real consequences.

The lawyer's call for "a huge push" suggests she believes current efforts, whatever they may be, lack the intensity and consistency needed to produce visible results. It's a diplomatic way of saying government needs to do more—significantly more—than what's happening now.

While galamsey dominated her remarks, Bright also addressed another development priority: the proposed Women's Development Bank. As a woman entrepreneur herself, she expressed keen interest in seeing this initiative come to fruition.

"As a woman, I am also waiting to see the Women's Development Bank. I believe it can make a real difference," Bright stated.

The proposed bank aims to provide targeted financial services and support to women entrepreneurs and women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Access to capital remains a persistent challenge for many women business owners in Ghana, and a dedicated institution could help bridge this gap.

Bright's anticipation reflects broader hope among women in business that such an institution could unlock economic opportunities and support the growth of enterprises that often struggle to secure funding through traditional banking channels.

Victoria Bright's message to the government is clear and uncompromising: Ghanaians are done with promises and press releases about galamsey. They want to see concrete, visible proof that the fight is being won. That proof will come when rivers start running clear again, when water bodies return to their natural colors, and when the environmental devastation becomes less obvious with each passing month.

Until that day arrives, public skepticism will remain justified, and the government will continue facing questions about whether it truly has the will and capacity to defeat illegal mining. The rivers don't lie—and that's exactly Bright's point.