The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has issued a powerful appeal to President John Mahama, demanding the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in areas destroyed by illegal mining, known locally as galamsey.
In a strongly worded pastoral message, the bishops warned that the menace “ravages our rivers and forests, poisons our soil, endangers public health, corrupts governance, erodes our moral fibre, and extinguishes livelihoods.”
They insisted the crisis “is not a routine challenge to be managed with half-measures; it is a national emergency requiring decisive, extraordinary response.”
Describing the environmental damage as a “profound betrayal” of humanity’s sacred duty to protect creation, the bishops cited alarming figures showing that rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra, Birim, and Ayensu are dangerously polluted with mercury and toxic waste. The Ayensu River alone recorded turbidity levels of 32,000 NTU, far above the Ghana Water Company’s 2,500 NTU treatment threshold.
“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,” the statement read.
The bishops also highlighted the human and social toll. Farmers have been displaced, schoolchildren are drawn into dangerous mining pits, and communities are exposed to “cancers, skin diseases, kidney failure, and neurological disorders” from contaminated water and food.
Calling galamsey a “cancer in our national soul,” they accused some politicians, local officials, chiefs, and even security personnel of aiding the menace through illicit concessions and protection for operators.
According to the bishops, government action has been far too slow despite repeated warnings. “The hour is late. Delay is betrayal. Now, not tomorrow, not later, is the time to act,” they declared.
They urged Mahama to back an emergency declaration with a holistic national plan, including revised mining laws, special courts, a corruption-proof task force, and sustainable livelihoods for those forced into illegal mining by poverty.
“We appeal to President Mahama to show the courage of leadership. His government must prosecute not only the poor but also the powerful; not only the weak but also the well-connected,” the statement concluded.
