ACI Africa, May 27, 2025 /
13:59 pm
Members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) have called on the government there to implement stringent measures against the ongoing illegal mining that is leading to loss of land in the West African nation.
In a May 23 meeting with Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama at Jubilee House in the country’s capital city, Accra, the president of the GCBC, Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, expressed concern that what began as a subsistence activity has turned into a national threat, noting that over 4,000 hectares of forest land have been lost and rivers like the Pra, Offin, and Ankobra have become symbols of environmental degradation due to illegal mining.
“We must act not only with force but with foresight. Enforcement must be balanced by credible and sustainable alternatives for those driven by desperation,” he said during the meeting.
Kwasi, who leads the Diocese of Sunyani in Ghana, described the act of illegal mining as doing grave ecological damage, noting its dangers to both the environment and the moral values of the community. He presented recommendations from the Ghanaian bishops to the government aimed at curbing it.
The recommendations urge the government to audit and repeal the laws that allow illegal mining and to freeze licenses of new artisans and small-scale miners until a review of environmental and social impacts is fully completed.
They also call on the Ghanaian government to declare a limited state of emergency in most affected areas to suspend mining activities, deploy military engineers for land restoration, and restore local governance with decentralized oversight.
Kwasi outlined more of the recommendations from the bishops, encouraging the government to collaborate with the Church and the district-level mining task force to do eco-mining audits, monitoring, and reporting of those who commit breaches.
He urged the government to enforce mandatory reclamation bonds and establish an independent environmental restoration fund co-governed by state, church, and traditional authorities. He also emphasized the need for the government to use part of the mineral development fund to empower communities affected by illegal mining through vocational training programs.
Kwasi, on behalf of the bishops, also spoke about digital mineral traceability, urging the government to implement a national block-chain-based system for tracking all minerals from the sources of exports to prevent smuggling and ensure proper accountability.
Bishops also call for electoral reform
In the meeting with Mahama in attendance alongside other government officials and the bishops, Kwasi raised concerns regarding electoral violence, national unity, and declining public trust in the country.
He highlighted the decrease in electoral participation, which fell from 85% in 2016 to 60.9% in 2024, which he said indicates a growing sense of disengagement among the electorate, especially the youth.
“The reduced turnout reflects broader concerns about the efficacy of democratic processes in addressing pressing national issues,” he said, noting that many young Ghanaians remain dissatisfied with politics as a “vehicle for real change.”
“The perception that politics is transactional and exclusive must be confronted. We must make democracy work, not just periodically at the polls, but persistently through policy, equity, and inclusion,” Kwasi said.
Pointing out some of the national unity challenges that Ghana is facing — including intensified political polarization and deepening mistrust between ethnic, regional, and partisan lines — Kwasi said that land disputes, chieftaincy conflicts, and vigilantism persist in flashpoint areas.
He went on to condemn the persistent violence that has marked the electoral process in previous elections from 1992 to 2024, despite the peaceful transition of power from one government to another.
(Story continues below)
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According to the Centre for Democratic Development in Ghana, there were 76 recorded incidents leading up to the 2024 general election, including 24 cases of destruction, vandalism, and invasion of public facilities as well as several injuries and six fatalities.
Kwasi recommended that the Ghanaian government work on economic equality and electoral integrity to prevent future incidences of electoral violence in the country. He called on the Ghanaian government to collaborate with the Church in ensuring civic education and engagement.
“By reinforcing the values of participatory governance and accountability, we can work towards revitalizing public trust and ensuring that democracy serves the prosperity of all Ghanaians,” he said, adding: “Let us build a politics that serves not itself but the people, a politics that is not about the survival of the fittest but about the flourishing of the weakest; a politics where governance is not performance but a moral vocation.”
This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.
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