Ghanaian Catholic Bishops decry Mahama government’s “romance” with galamsey fight, demands emergency action

Ghana’s Catholic Bishops have criticised the government’s approach to the fight against illegal mining, describing it as a “romance” that pays lip service to the scale of the menace, and demanded immediate extraordinary measures to salvage the country’s environment, livelihoods, and moral conscience.

In a statement issued on Monday, September 15, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) said illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, has become a “cancer” ravaging the nation. The Bishops warned that the government’s half-hearted responses under President John Dramani Mahama risk deepening the crisis that has already poisoned water bodies, destroyed farmlands, endangered lives, and eroded the country’s moral fibre.

“This is not a routine challenge to be managed with half-measures; it is a national emergency requiring decisive, extraordinary response,” the Bishops stressed. They called on the President and his administration to “declare, without hesitation, a state of emergency in the most affected mining zones and around endangered water bodies.”

The call comes nine months after the Mahama-led administration took office, with assurances of tackling the galamsey menace and safeguarding natural resources. According to the Bishops, however, those promises have yielded “unsatisfactory responses focused narrowly on economic gain,” while devastation spreads across communities.

A state of emergency, the Bishops said, would empower government to take bold steps, including curfews in volatile mining areas, securing devastated lands, dismantling entrenched criminal syndicates, and halting corrupt administrative complicities. “The scale of the crisis justifies nothing less,” they said.

The Bishops lamented that illegal mining continues to corrode politics, governance, and public trust, noting that some Members of Parliament, Municipal and District Chief Executives, traditional leaders, security personnel, and even religious figures have been implicated. They described this as “a betrayal of trust that cuts to the very marrow of our national identity.”

“We call such leaders to repent without delay,” the Bishops declared, warning that galamsey has matured into a threat to national security.

Quoting scripture, they reminded Ghanaians that humanity has been entrusted with stewardship of creation. “To desecrate creation through galamsey is not only an offence against neighbour; it is a grave sin against God Himself, the Creator and Owner of all,” they noted.

The Bishops painted a grim picture of the ecological and social impact of illegal mining. Farmers, they said, can no longer rely on the land to feed their families, while the Ghana Water Company spends heavily to render water barely potable, yet traces of mercury, arsenic, cyanide, and chlorine persist.

Most worrying, they observed, is the effect on children who abandon school in pursuit of quick wealth in mining pits, with many losing their lives in preventable accidents. “The poisons of mining seep silently into our food chain, breeding cancers, skin diseases, kidney failure, and neurological disorders,” they said.

The Bishops expressed disappointment that President Mahama has failed to grasp the existential scale of the crisis, insisting that “delay is betrayal.” They urged the government to prosecute not only the poor and powerless but also the rich and politically connected who shield illegal operators.

“We appeal to President Mahama to show the courage of leadership. Without courage, no policy will stand, no law will hold, no declaration will succeed,” they said.

Beyond a state of emergency, the Bishops proposed a holistic national strategy: revising mining laws with stiffer penalties, establishing specialised courts to fast-track prosecutions, and setting up a permanent, corruption-proof task force comprising security agencies, environmental experts, and local authorities.

They further recommended sustainable alternatives for those driven into galamsey by desperation, such as properly regulated small-scale mining zones with environmental safeguards, technical support, and nationwide afforestation programmes that would also provide dignified jobs, particularly for the youth.

The Bishops concluded by urging Ghanaians to resist the lure of quick wealth that jeopardises the future of the nation. Chiefs were reminded of their sacred duty as custodians of the land, politicians were urged to put Ghana above partisan interest, religious leaders were called to speak prophetically without fear, and security agencies were charged to act with integrity.

“The hour is late,” the Bishops warned. “Now, not tomorrow, not later, is the time to act.”

Contributor: Ebenezer Asante Boateng