Catholic Church joins demos against galamsey; announces environmental prayer walk

The Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, in collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious Ghana (CMSR-GH), has joined the growing calls to clamp down on illegal mining commonly known as galamsey.

In a statement released on October 4, 2024, the Archdiocese will host an Environmental Prayer Walk Against Galamsey. According to the statement, the walk will commence on Friday, October 11, 2024, at 10am at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Adabraka, and conclude at Christ the King Parish, Cantonment in Accra.

The peaceful prayer walk aims to address the ongoing environmental degradation caused by illegal mining activities. The event, deeply rooted in both civil and religious responsibilities, calls on all Catholics and concerned citizens to join hands in a solemn, united appeal to preserve Ghana’s ecosystem.

As part of this initiative, a petition will be submitted to the Presidency at Jubilee House, to petition the presidency to call on the government to take action against environmental degradation, and the call for sustainable solutions.

This walk comes as part of the growing concerning and calls on the government to ban galamsey

Recent media reports indicates high level of pollution in major water bodies across the country, with some recording as high turbidity levels hovering above 14,000 MTUs.

Organised labour threatens industrial action to compel government to act on galamsey

Organised labour has recently threatened a nationwide strike action as part of the calls to get the government to act. They have set October 10, 2024 to proceed with the strike, if their demands are not met. They argue that the government’s inaction on the issue of illegal mining has led to severe environmental degradation and has adversely affected the livelihoods of many communities.

Meanwhile, several protests have been held in the capital against illegal mining. Citizens, environmental activists, and various organisations have been staging demonstrations to raise awareness about the devastating impact of galamsey on the environment. One of which is dubbed #StopTheGalamsey Protests, to pressure the government into implementing stricter regulations, enforcement measures to combat illegal mining activities, and take action to restore the environment from its degraded state.

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