The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) is calling on the government to take far stronger measures against illegal mining (galamsey), including the declaration of a state of emergency in the country’s most severely affected mining zones.
In a communiqué issued after its Annual Plenary Assembly in Damongo in the Savannah Region, the Bishops warned that the scale of environmental destruction caused by galamsey has become “a profound moral crisis and a spiritual challenge.” They stressed that a synodal Church views creation not as an exploitable resource but as “a covenantal partner deserving of respect and care.”
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According to the Conference, recent data show the extent of the ecological disaster:
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Over 5,252 hectares of forest reserves lost to illegal mining in 2025 alone
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44 out of 288 forest reserves now classified as degraded
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An estimated 75% of Ghana’s rivers polluted by mercury, cyanide and other toxins from unregulated mining activities
While acknowledging government efforts such as the creation of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), the Bishops insisted that the scale of devastation requires more aggressive and urgent national action.
They urged President John Dramani Mahama to implement tougher interventions, including:
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Declaring a state of emergency in high-risk galamsey zones
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Swift, impartial prosecution of offenders irrespective of political affiliation
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Full reclamation and restoration of degraded lands
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Transparent national reporting on forest cover, water quality and food safety
The GCBC also commended chiefs and queen mothers who have taken courageous steps to protect their lands from illegal mining and encouraged others to demonstrate similar leadership.
The Bishops further appealed to citizens to take collective ownership of the fight against galamsey, stressing that Ghana’s land, forests and rivers must be “sanitised and healed” for the sake of future generations.