‘Now, not later’: Catholic bishops press Mahama for state of emergency over galamsey

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has issued its strongest call yet for decisive action against illegal mining, describing the practice as a “national emergency” that threatens the soul of the country.

In a statement signed by its president, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the bishops said galamsey had become one of the gravest afflictions of modern Ghana, ravaging rivers and forests, poisoning soil, endangering public health, corrupting governance, and extinguishing livelihoods. “This is not a routine challenge to be managed with half-measures; it is a national emergency requiring a decisive, extraordinary response,” the statement read.

Citing alarming data, the bishops said water bodies such as the Pra, Birim, Ankobra, Offin and Ayensu were now dangerously polluted with mercury and toxic chemicals. The Ayensu River, they noted, recorded turbidity levels of 32,000 NTU—far above the Ghana Water Company’s treatment limit of 2,500 NTU—making purification nearly impossible.

The Conference warned that the environmental devastation was also feeding a wider crisis of food insecurity, youth exploitation, and rising health risks, including cancers, kidney failure, and neurological disorders. “The poisons of mining seep silently into our food chain,” it said, lamenting that children were being lured into dangerous pits while farmlands lay scarred and sterile.

Beyond ecology, the bishops condemned the infiltration of illegal mining into politics and governance. They accused some politicians, district executives, chiefs, religious leaders, and security officials of shielding operators for personal gain.

“This betrayal of trust cuts to the very marrow of our national identity,” the statement declared.

The GCBC sharply criticised President John Dramani Mahama for what it described as an inadequate response to the menace. Despite raising concerns with him in January and May 2025, the bishops said his focus on economic benefits and dismissal of calls for a state of emergency were “profoundly troubling”.

They urged the President to immediately declare a state of emergency in affected mining zones and water bodies, a move they said would empower security interventions, dismantle entrenched cartels, and curb administrative complicity. They also proposed specialised courts, stiffer laws, and a permanent corruption-proof task force to sustain enforcement.

However, the bishops also called for compassion, urging the government to create regulated small-scale mining zones, restore displaced farmers with land and credit, and launch a national afforestation programme to provide alternative livelihoods.

“This struggle is not merely about law enforcement. It concerns the very soul of Ghana.”

“We must choose life, not death; blessing, not curse. Delay is betrayal. “Now is the time to act,” the bishops charged.