Leaders of the various religious bodies in Ghana have called on the Government to, as a matter of urgency, ban the activities of all small-scale mining (whether licensed or illegal) in the country.
This, according to them, is to forestall the future of Ghana and end the devastation that illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, is causing the nation, coupled with the associated negative health and socio-economic effects on the country.
“We call for the immediate ban of all small-scale mining. We have taken notice that many groups or companies hide behind a legal license to wreak havoc on the environment. To that end, we call for an immediate ban on all forms of small-scale mining, whether licensed or not, until a workable and satisfactory road map has been established to ensure responsible mining in our country,” they stated.
They added: “This is the time to put Ghana first beyond political party affiliations and personal gains in order to secure a better future for our children; this is the whole basis of sustainable development. The adverse impacts of galamsey are seriously undermining our collective national efforts to achieve our sustainable development goals.”
The clarion call was made during a joint press conference held in Accra on Monday, October 17, 2022, by the religious leaders in Ghana, including the Christian Council of Ghana, Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, Office of the National Chief Imam, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Ghana and the National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches.
Present were theMost Rev. Philip Naameh (President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference), Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong Manso (President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council), Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo (Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana), Apostle Eric Nyamekye (Chairman of The Church of Pentecost), Mr Emmanuel Baba Mahama (National President of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International), and Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu (the Spokesperson for the National Chief Imam), among other top religious leaders in the country.
Lamenting on the devasting effects that galamsey has caused and continues to cause Ghana, the religious leaders issued an eight-point communique stating their solution to solving the menace, saying, we seek to draw the attention of Ghanaians to the following:
1. We are calling for a week of fasting and prayers to pray for change of hearts and for God’s mercy upon our nation for the destruction we have caused the environment.
2. We call for the IMMEDIATE BAN of all small-scale mining. We have taken notice that many groups or companies hide behind a legal license to wreak havoc to the environment. To that end, we call for an immediate ban on all forms of small-scale mining, whether licensed or not, until a workable and satisfactory road map has been established to ensure responsible mining in our country.
3. We call for an immediate national stakeholder’s dialogue under the auspices of religious leaders (while the ban is in place) to dialogue with all political parties, mining technocrats, the media, traditional leaders and all stakeholders to commit to a non partisan National Strategy to sustainably deal with this national canker before we sink as a nation.
4. We call on government to swiftly arrest and, prosecute all those involved in galamsey activities in Ghana without fear or favour, to serve as a deterrent to others. Those who desire to be rich at the expense of the future of our country should face the full rigors of the law.
5. With immediate effect, we call on religious leaders to wear red armbands to show our deep concern for the destruction of our environment through galamsey.
6. We call for the arrest and immediate prosecution of any chief who permits galamsey activities within his jurisdiction for any reason.
7. We give an ULTIMATUM to MMDCEs in the country to ensure that water bodies that have been polluted because of illegal mining activities within their sphere of governance are clean by June 30, 2023. The Religious Leaders in the country are ready to mobilise our legal team to go to court on this matter and have MMDCEs who have allowed such menace in their jurisdiction to be removed from office.
8. We have realised that galamsey is preventing the youth from going to school. We call on all well-meaning Ghanaians to immediately report any child of school-going age who is involved in galamsey activities in their communities to the appropriate authorities and also to their respective religious leaders.
PENTECOST NEWS.
