President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), Most Rev. Matthew Gyamfi has unleashed a blistering critique of some political and traditional leaders for their involvement in illegal mining, known locally as galamsey.
Reflecting on readings of the 23rd Sunday of the Year in a searing homily delivered at the 10th National Sacred Heart of Jesus Congress and Golden Jubilee in Tamale on September 8, Bishop Gyamfi lamented the increasing detrimental effects of galamsey on the environment and local communities.
“We are not deaf and dumb to the challenges facing our country, both in the past and now,” he declared.
The Bishop criticised the inability of leaders to tackle illegal mining, bribery, and corruption, underscoring a profound failure to safeguard the nation’s resources. “It is common knowledge that many political and traditional leaders have failed to protect our farmlands and have allowed our rivers to be poisoned,” he said.
The Prelate drew a stark comparison between the expected role of leaders and their current actions saying, “These leaders should protect us, just as the men who brought the deaf and dumb man to Jesus did.”
“But many of our political and traditional leaders are selfishly involved in the exploitation of our economy and environment. Many are deeply implicated in galamsey, polluting our waters,” he lamented.
He further criticised the unequal tax burden faced by ordinary citizens versus the wealthy. “We know there are heavy taxes imposed on many of us, while the wealthy often escape paying the required taxes,” Bishop. Gyamfi said, pointing to a growing sense of injustice and disparity within the nation.
“In such chaos, it becomes difficult for all of us to build the country together,” the GCBC President lamented.
The comment comes after the Ghana chapter of the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA) expressed outrage at the Ghanaian government’s inaction regarding the illegal mining crisis destroying the country.
According to the Catholic Youth group, the environmental and social catastrophe, condemned by Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si, continues to ravage ecosystems and exploit vulnerable communities with alarming impunity while many watch unconcerned.
In a press statement issued on September 6, 2024, CYNESA called on key stakeholders to step up their efforts in combating this urgent crisis.
“We urgently call on Catholic Members of Parliament to speak out and take decisive action now,” the statement said.
The group is also demanding action from the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, urging them to “mobilize Catholics across the nation, together with well-meaning Ghanaians, to demand immediate and concrete steps to end galamsey through peaceful protests.”
They also called on the faithful, including the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, St. John International, and the Ladies Auxiliary to become “true defenders of justice and faith,” emphasising their role in advocating for change and fighting against this environmental disaster.
“Every day, our young people suffer as a result of the neglect and failure of those in power,” the statement added.
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and several other health unions and associations have also called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to immediately ban all small-scale mining operations, whether legal or illegal.
This is in response to the increasing destruction of the country’s forest reserves and water bodies, along with the serious public health and environmental threats posed by individuals and organizations involved in illegal mining, also known as galamsey.
Recently, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) attributed galamsey as part of the reasons for low cocoa yields, while the Ghana Water Company has also made public how the destruction of water bodies, as a result of galamsey activities, was making it difficult for it to supply the public with water.
The Ghana Water Company Limited has said that it is likely to shut down two major treatment plants in the Ashanti Region considering high turbidity resulting in increasing cost of production.
Illegal mining activity, also known as ‘galamsey’ has eaten into the Konongo and Odaso treatment plants of the Ghana Water Company Limited.
