The Christian Council of Ghana has added its voice to the increasing calls for a decisive and total ban on illegal mining activities, commonly referred to as “galamsey.”
This call from the religious body comes at a time when the detrimental effects of illegal mining on the environment, local communities, and the nation’s future have reached critical levels, prompting various stakeholders to demand immediate and far-reaching actions to be taken against the practice.
General Secretary of the Christian Council, Reverend Cyril Fayose, said there is an existential threat posed by galamsey to Ghana’s natural resources, especially its water bodies, farmlands, and ecosystems.
Reverend Fayose highlighted the urgency of the crisis, describing the menace as something that must be addressed without delay.
He called for more than just the usual condemnations and reactive measures, emphasising that only a well-thought-out and comprehensive strategy would suffice to protect Ghana’s future.
“I think there should be a total ban, at least if not a total ban, a moratorium for some time [on galamsey] so that we sit back and think about how to proceed. There are two ways to proceed.
“One is a total ban on small-scale mining so that no one is allowed to do small-scale mining, just as we don’t allow anyone to mine in water bodies. But the other thing is if we cannot do a total ban on small-scale mining, at least the small-scale mining companies must be community-owned.”