Ghanaian bishops demand action against illegal mining emergency

‘The evidence is stark: mercury and arsenic levels in some communities exceed safe limits by hundreds of times. Our water, our food security, and the very future of our nation are at stake.’

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a new appeal to the government for “decisive and transparent action” against illegal mining, locally known as “Galamsey”. 

In a statement after a meeting with President John Dramani Mahama and civil society organisations last week, the bishops described the situation as nothing less than “a public health and human rights emergency”. 

They cited findings from the recent Mercury and Heavy Metals Impact Assessment conducted by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Agency, together with the testimony of the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxic Substances, which presented “an alarming and irrefutable picture: Ghana is poisoning its own life-support system”, they said. 

“The evidence is stark: mercury and arsenic levels in some communities exceed safe limits by hundreds of times. Rivers, soils, and crops are contaminated; over half a million farmers have been displaced; and children are already bearing the scars of toxic exposure. Our water, our food security, and the very future of our nation are at stake.” 

The bishops urged the president to ensure “clear benchmarks that will trigger a state of emergency; visible prosecution of kingpins, including those named in official reports; the establishment of promised fast-track courts; measurable performance indicators for local authorities and security services; and protection for communities and traditional leaders who resist galamsey, alongside accountability for those complicit”. 

They continued: “Your Excellency, credibility is now as important as policy. Our people must see that no one is above the law, and that economic expediency cannot outweigh the sacred right to clean water, safe food, and a healthy environment. To delay is to risk complicity in what is fast becoming an ecocidal tragedy of monumental proportions.” 

The appeal follows the bishops’ previous plea for action in September 2025, when they issued a wide-ranging pastoral statement describing illegal mining as “one of the gravest afflictions of our time”. At that time, they decried the devastating impact on rivers, forests, farmlands, and public health, warning that galamsey had become “a cancer in our national soul”. 

They appealed for the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in the most affected areas, stressing that “delay is betrayal. Now, not tomorrow, not later, is the time to act.” 

President Mahama called the meeting will civil society organisations in response to that call. He pledged transparency and reiterated his personal commitment to the fight.

“I’m determined. We need your support. We need your criticism, your advocacy, your pressure. Continue to put our feet to the fire, and let’s win this fight together. Our great-grandfathers gave us a beautiful country with trees and beautiful rivers, and we should not hand over poisoned water bodies or desecrated forests to our children and great-grandchildren.”

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