By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The FixTheCountry Movement is mobilising Ghanaians for what it describes as a civic duty to defend the environment against the threat of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the convenor of the group, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, announced that the movement will hold a vigil on Sunday, 21 September, at Revolution Square in Accra. The event will be followed by a public march on Monday, 22 September, a national holiday.
“The responsibility to protect and preserve the environment is by divine assignment, ours as a people,” Barker-Vormawor wrote, stressing that the fight against galamsey must rise above party politics. He added: “Our responsibility to end galamsey does not end at elections, nor does it begin after our party loses one. This is bigger than petty politics.”
The social media announcement quickly gained traction, drawing reactions from civil society actors and young people who echoed concerns about the destruction of Ghana’s rivers, forests, and farmlands.
FixTheCountry has consistently used digital platforms to galvanise public pressure on national issues, often positioning itself as a watchdog against political complacency. Its latest call highlights what Barker-Vormawor described as an “environmental crisis of urgent proportions.”
The group has for years accused successive governments of turning a blind eye to illegal mining, citing political interference as a major barrier to enforcement. With the vigil and march, it hopes to channel growing online frustration into collective civic action.
By rooting its mobilisation drive in X, the movement is once again leveraging the power of social media to push environmental concerns into the national spotlight.
