The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has issued a fresh and urgent appeal to the government, pressing for “decisive and transparent action” against the destructive scourge of illegal mining, locally known as, Galamsey.
In a statement delivered after a high-level engagement with President John Dramani Mahama and Civil Society Organisations, recently, the Bishops described the situation as nothing less than “a public health and human rights emergency.”
Health and human rights emergency
They cited findings from the recent Mercury and Heavy Metals Impact Assessment conducted by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Agency, together with the testimony of the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxic Substances, which, they said, presents “an alarming and irrefutable picture: Ghana is poisoning its own life-support systems.”
“The evidence is stark: mercury and arsenic levels in some communities exceed safe limits by hundreds of times. Rivers, soils, and crops are contaminated; over half a million farmers have been displaced; and children are already bearing the scars of toxic exposure. Our water, our food security, and the very future of our nation are at stake,” the Bishops declared.
Need for clear benchmarks
The Bishops emphasised that credibility is as vital as policy in the fight against galamsey. They urged the President to ensure “clear benchmarks that will trigger a state of emergency; visible prosecution of kingpins, including those named in official reports; the establishment of promised fast-track courts; measurable performance indicators for local authorities and security services; and protection for communities and traditional leaders who resist galamsey, alongside accountability for those complicit.”
“Your Excellency, credibility is now as important as policy. Our people must see that no one is above the law, and that economic expediency cannot outweigh the sacred right to clean water, safe food, and a healthy environment. To delay is to risk complicity in what is fast becoming an ecocidal tragedy of monumental proportions,” they added.
Now, not tomorrow, not later
This renewed call builds on the Bishops’ earlier plea for action in September 2025, when they issued a wide-ranging Pastoral Statement describing illegal mining as “one of the gravest afflictions of our time.” At that time, they decried the devastating impact on rivers, forests, farmlands, and public health, warning that galamsey had become “a cancer in our national soul.” They appealed for the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in the most affected areas, stressing that “delay is betrayal. Now, not tomorrow, not later, is the time to act.”
Government’s commitment
Responding to that call, President Mahama convened the October meeting with CSOs, including the Bishops. He pledged transparency and reiterated his personal commitment to the fight, stating: “I’m determined. We need your support. We need your criticism, your advocacy, your pressure. Continue to put our feet to the fire, and let’s win this fight together. Our great-grandfathers gave us a beautiful country with trees and beautiful rivers, and we should not hand over poisoned water bodies or desecrated forests to our children and great-grandchildren.”