Galamsey: Catholic Laity Council backs Bishops’ call for state of emergency
The Ghana National Catholic Laity Council (NCLC) has thrown its weight behind the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, urging the government to declare a state of emergency in the most affected mining zones.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Sir John Kofi Tandoh, and issued on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, the NCLC described galamsey as a “national disaster” that is devastating Ghana’s rivers, farmlands, and communities while posing serious threats to human life, food security, and national stability.
“We see our rivers – the Pra, Birim, Ankobra, Offin, Ayensu, and many more – once life-giving and clear, now poisoned with mercury and cyanide, running brown and lifeless. We watch fertile farmlands destroyed and abandoned, and children dropping out of school to risk their lives in unstable mining shafts. Galamsey has truly become a national disaster,” the Council stated.
The lay leadership of the Catholic Church called on the government to take bold and urgent measures to end the menace, including:
- Declaring a state of emergency in heavily affected mining communities.
- Prosecuting offenders without fear or favour, including politically connected individuals.
- Providing sustainable livelihood alternatives for the youth through agriculture, technical training, and regulated small-scale mining.
- Launching a nationwide programme of reforestation and land reclamation to restore degraded lands.
The NCLC also appealed to chiefs, political leaders, opinion leaders, and security agencies to demonstrate integrity and patriotism by putting the nation above personal or partisan interests.
“The betrayal of trust, through silence or complicity, is as destructive as the act of mining itself,” the Council cautioned.
The statement reiterated the Church’s commitment to supporting education, advocacy, and environmental protection campaigns, while urging all Ghanaians to rise together in unity to save the nation’s environment from destruction.
“This is not simply a fight for rivers and forests. It is a fight for the soul of Ghana,” the Council declared.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama, in his media encounter on September 10, 2025, announced that he has not explored all the options available to him in the fight against galamsey.
