The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, has urged the government to demonstrate the political will needed to end illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He said the government had the authority and capacity to tackle the menace, which he said was destroying mining communities, polluting water bodies and imposing huge costs on the state to treat contaminated water.
Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Wednesday, August 26, Rt. Rev. Dr Kwakye said decisive action was needed to address the problem.
“All of us are aware that this nation is in a direction that is not going to help us. The communities where mining is taking place are getting destroyed. And our waters are polluted. And we spend huge amounts of money to treat water,” he said.
“I think that government has the political power. It also has the might to crush galamsey. If government wants to crush galamsey, government is able to.”
Rt. Rev. Dr. Kwakye said the Presbyterian Church had consistently raised concerns about the impact of illegal mining and would continue to use its platform to advocate for an end to the practice.
He said the Church recently held its annual symposium in Tarkwa in the Western Region, rather than Accra, to allow participants to directly observe and discuss the effects of illegal mining in a mining community.
He noted that the National Red Sunday campaign followed shortly after the symposium and provided another platform to highlight the impact of galamsey on the country.
“I pray that this nation will rise up together. It looks like we are not angry enough to deal with it. Whatever the problems, let’s deal with galamsey because it affects me. It affects you,” he said.
He stressed that the consequences of illegal mining were not confined to mining communities, pointing out that residents of Accra and other parts of the country also suffered the effects through polluted water and environmental degradation.
“We sit in Accra, there’s no galamsey going on here, but we are all reaping from what is happening in these places,” he said.
Calls for bipartisan action
The Presbyterian Moderator said the Church would remain a non-partisan moral voice on the issue and called for a bipartisan approach to tackling illegal mining.
He recalled that the first National Red Sunday was held in 2024, when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in opposition, stressing that the Church’s advocacy was not targeted at any particular political party.
“We are not partisan. We are looking at the welfare and development of our nation,” he said.
Rt. Rev. Dr. Kwakye said the Church would continue to condemn illegal mining regardless of which political party was in government.
“What we are seeking is for this nation to do what is right. And for this nation to be united. And that is why we are asking for a bipartisan approach. It’s important that we save ourselves,” he said.
He said the environmental damage caused by galamsey did not discriminate along political lines.
“The water that is polluted does not ask whether your lips are NDC or New Patriotic Party. They don’t seek your partisan colours,” he said.
He therefore urged political leaders and citizens to work together to address the problem.
‘I want results, not just a state of emergency’
Rt. Rev. Dr. Kwakye also expressed reservations about calls for the declaration of a state of emergency to deal with illegal mining, saying his priority was tangible results rather than a particular government measure.
“I think it’s getting worse when people say they want a state of emergency. I personally, I do not know what they mean. A state of emergency might be declared, and it may not yield fruit,” he said.
He said what mattered was effective enforcement that would lead to an actual reduction in illegal mining and restoration of the environment.
