Bishops renew call for decisive action on illegal mining (galamsey)
Illegal mining—locally known as galamsey—has plagued Ghana for years, causing deforestation, river contamination, land degradation, and community displacement. Efforts to regulate and enforce bans have had mixed success.
Latest call
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a renewed appeal for urgent and transparent measures to combat galamsey, calling it “a public health and human rights emergency.”
They cited a recent Mercury and Heavy Metals Impact Assessment (in collaboration with Pure Earth and EPA) showing that some communities exceed safe levels by hundreds of times, with implications for water, soils, crops, and human health.
Proposed actions & pressures
- Award clear benchmarks triggering a state of emergency in affected regions
- Prosecuting perpetrators including high‑profile “kingpins”
- Fast‑track courts to adjudicate mining offenses
- Protect traditional leaders, local resistors, and communities
- Public accountability and transparency in resource governance
What to watch
- Whether government responds with legal, fiscal, and enforcement resources
- Whether the promised fast-track courts are operational
- Evidence of prosecutions or suspension of mining licenses
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Source: raylizaghana.com
