By Rashid Obodai

Copyright rainbowradioonline

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has admonished President John Dramani Mahama to establish specialized courts to expedite the prosecution of illegal miners and their accomplices.

​The Conference says illegal mining has reached a national emergency level.​In a statement signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, on Monday, September 15, 2025, the Bishops indicated that illegal mining can best be described as “one of the gravest afflictions of our time.”

​“It ravages our rivers and forests, poisons our soil, endangers public health, corrupts governance, erodes our moral fibre, and extinguishes livelihoods. This is not a routine challenge to be managed with half-measures; it is a national emergency requiring a decisive, extraordinary response,” the statement read.

​According to the Conference, rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra, Birim, Offin, and Ayensu have been contaminated with mercury and other toxins, with turbidity levels exceeding the treatment capacity of the Ghana Water Company.

​The statement added that our forests and farmlands have been stripped bare, while deadly pits pose ongoing hazards to communities.

​“This betrayal of trust cuts to the very marrow of our national identity. We call such leaders to repentance without delay,” the statement said.​Meanwhile, it has recommended the creation of a permanent, corruption-proof task force made up of security agencies, environmental experts, and local authorities to ensure consistent enforcement of laws.

​The Conference also wants the government to impose curfews in volatile mining zones, revise our mining laws with stiffer penalties, afforestation programmes, and alternative livelihoods for those driven to illegal mining by poverty.

​It further referred to galamsey as a public health and national security threat, which needed urgent attention.

​The statement said toxins from illegal mining are entering the food chain, contributing to cancers and neurological disorders, while criminal networks profit and violent conflicts escalate in mining areas.

​The Conference called on Ghanaians to demand action from the government.​“This struggle is not merely about law enforcement. It concerns the very soul of Ghana. It is about whether we choose life or death, blessing or curse,” the statement said.

​“With God’s grace, let us choose life, for ourselves, for our children, and for generations yet unborn,” the statement concluded.

By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana