Accra: The Catholic Bishops of Ghana have sounded a renewed and urgent alarm over the escalating illegal mining crisis, popularly known as Galamsey, calling on the government to take swift, transparent, and decisive measures to protect the nation’s environment and public health.
Following a high-level meeting with President John Dramani Mahama and representatives of Civil Society Organisations, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference described the situation as “a public health and human rights emergency.” Drawing on recent research and international testimony, the Bishops painted a grim picture of environmental degradation, toxic exposure, and widespread displacement.
Citing the Mercury and Heavy Metals Impact Assessment conducted by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Agency, along with observations from the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxic Substances, the Bishops warned that mercury and arsenic levels in several communities exceed safe limits by hundreds of times. Rivers, soils, and crops are heavily contaminated, leaving more than half a million farmers uprooted and children already suffering the effects of toxic exposure. The Bishops stressed that “our water, our food security, and the very future of our nation are at stake.”
The Bishops also urged the government to establish concrete benchmarks for action. They called for the prosecution of Galamsey kingpins named in official reports, the fast-tracking of promised courts, measurable accountability for local authorities and security forces, and the protection of communities and traditional leaders resisting illegal mining. “Credibility is now as important as policy,” they asserted, emphasizing that no individual should be above the law and that economic interests must never override the nation’s right to clean water, safe food, and a healthy environment.
This appeal builds on their earlier Pastoral Statement in September 2025, where illegal mining was described as “a cancer in our national soul” and the urgent declaration of a state of emergency in affected areas was demanded. The Bishops reiterated their call with a sense of immediacy: “Now, not tomorrow, not later, is the time to act.”
In response, President Mahama acknowledged the gravity of the crisis, pledging transparency and his personal commitment to the fight against Galamsey. “I’m determined. We need your support. We need your criticism, your advocacy, your pressure. Let’s win this fight together. Our great-grandfathers gave us a beautiful country with trees and rivers, and we should not hand over poisoned water bodies or desecrated forests to our children and great-grandchildren,” he said.
As the illegal mining crisis deepens, Ghanaian Bishops insist that immediate, tangible action is critical to safeguard the nation’s environment, public health, and the wellbeing of future generations.