Key points
-
Catholic Bishops’ Conference says galamsey is a national emergency.
-
They accuse leaders, including politicians and chiefs, of complicity.
-
Bishops urge Mahama to act decisively to save rivers, forests and lives.
President John Mahama is facing fresh pressure over illegal mining after Ghana’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference accused his government of failing to tackle the problem.
In a statement issued Monday, conference president Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi said galamsey has become one of the country’s biggest threats. He warned it is destroying rivers, forests and farmland while also endangering public health.
The bishops said Ghana’s rivers — including the Pra, Ankobra, Birim, Offin and Ayensu — are now so polluted that they are barely recognizable.
Galamsey described as national emergency
The bishops described illegal mining as “a cancer in our national soul,” saying the toxins from mining seep into the food chain, causing cancers, kidney failure and other diseases.
They also alleged that politicians, local chiefs, security officers and other leaders are complicit, making the fight harder to win.
“This is not a routine challenge to be managed with half-measures,” the statement read. “It is a national emergency requiring a decisive, extraordinary response.”
Bishops say government must act without fear or favor
The bishops expressed disappointment with Mahama’s responses to their earlier appeals in January and May, accusing him of focusing too much on economic arguments instead of decisive action.
They urged him to prosecute “not only the poor but also the powerful; not only the weak but also the well-connected.”
They said failure to act now will leave forests barren, farmland ruined and rivers dead
