The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called on President John Mahama to take decisive action against illegal mining, warning that galamsey is destroying the nation’s environment, governance, and moral fabric.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani, the Bishops declared galamsey a national emergency that can no longer be tolerated.
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“Illegal and unregulated mining is one of the gravest afflictions of our time. It ravages rivers and forests, poisons our soil, endangers public health, corrupts governance, and extinguishes livelihoods. This is not a routine challenge to be managed with half-measures—it requires extraordinary response,” the statement stressed.
They warned that rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra, Birim, Offin, and Ayensu are now polluted beyond recognition, fertile farmlands have been rendered sterile, and forests stripped bare, leaving barren scars across the country.
The Bishops further cautioned that toxic chemicals from mining are seeping into Ghana’s food chain, causing cancers, kidney disease, neurological disorders, and other deadly illnesses, while children are lured into hazardous pits.
“Galamsey is a cancer in our national soul,” the Bishops declared, insisting that only urgent, bold action can save Ghana’s environment and democracy from irreversible ruin.