Commentary, News

Plaudits for Catholic Church as leadership gears up for Environmental Prayer Walk Against Galamsey

By Charles Neequaye

Ghana is the preserve of every Ghanaian, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political inclination.

That is why it is necessary for civil society and political groupings, chieftaincy institutions, the Clergy, Medical Associations, the Bar, Journalists, Economists and all other professionals, to speak out on issues militating against national progress.

Therefore, the decision by the leadership of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra to team up with the Conference of Major Superiors of Religions in Ghana to lead a large-scale protest on Friday, October 11, 2024, to rally Ghanaians from all walks of life to unite in both prayer and action to end the devastation being caused to water bodies, forests cover and the environment through illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey is timely and on point and will be supported by about 50 organizations.

Titled, “Environmental Prayer Walk Against Galamsey”, the walk which will involve thousands of Catholic faithful and other Ghanaians, led by the Bishops and all Priests and Religious leaders in the Archdiocese of Accra, will emphasize the spiritual dimension of the fight against illegal mining and seeks God’s intervention in the fight against the menace.

The Church noted that whilst human beings were doing their best to ensure that the government did the needful to stop galamsey, it is important not to forget the power of prayer in the fight against galamsey.

The walk will be through the streets of Accra, from the Holy Spirit Cathedral at Adabraka, with placards, expressing their concerns about the on-going crisis. There will be the presentation of petitions to President Nana Akufo-Addo, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin and the Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo.

The peaceful prayer walk will end with a solemn Episcopal Mass led by His Grace, the Archbishop of Accra, as the main celebrant at the Christ the King parish at Cantonment, near the Jubilee House. Indeed, this is a clarion call to Ghanaians to embrace and participate in this laudable initiative.

The galamsey menace is undoubtedly a threat to national security since it has the tendency of creating food and water shortages in our dear country.

The rivers and streams that supply water to millions of households, and factories among others are heavily polluted with dangerous chemicals such as mercury, LED and cyanide, therefore, it has become difficult for the Ghana Water Company Limited to treat the water effectively for human consumption. The company has hinted that if steps are not taken to curb this galamsey business as quickly as possible, Ghana will face a severe water shortage, necessitating the importation of water.

Besides, the consumption of these contaminated water as a result of these pollutants has resulted in pregnant mothers giving birth to children with deformities. Our medical officers keep warning that unless urgent steps are taken to stop the menace, the problem will escalate to unimaginable proportions. These illegal miners have taken over the forest cover, cutting food and cash crops such as cocoa, the nation’s livewire. It is evident that if the authorities fail to act decisively within the shortest possible time, the country cannot escape famine in the near future.

In 2019, when the issue of vigilante groups took center stage in the country’s body politics, the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, gave the various political parties a three-month ultimatum to disband all the groups or else it would embark on a nationwide protest. That issue generated a lot of controversy in the country, during which a solution was found to the problem. Just like the vigilante issue in 2019, spearheaded by the Church, this time round, the Catholic Church is again, at the forefront of this galamsey menace. It behoves all churches to participate in issues that will benefit of our dear country.