Ghana: Catholic Church protest against illegal mining

The Bishops of the Accra Archdiocese, alongside thousands of Catholic parishioners, organized an ‘Environmental Prayer Walk’ in the Ghanaian capital to protest the destructive effects of illegal mining, or galamsey.

The peaceful demonstration, aimed at raising awareness about the environmental damage caused by galamsey, culminated in the presentation of a petition to the presidency.

The protesters united in their call for stronger environmental protections and an end to galamsey, which has ravaged Ghana’s water bodies and ecosystems.

“It is the fight of all of us. Policy makers, those who are involved in the business, our traditional leaders and indeed every Ghanaian,” the Director, Governance, Justice & Peace/Chaplain to Parliament and a representative of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference Fr Michael Quarcoo said.

The march, drew widespread participation, including FixTheCountry and the Democracy Hub.

“Our struggle is that we want Galamsey to end and our water bodies to be fixed. Any group that is willing to march on that objective, you can count on our full support to be part of them,” NII AYI SAGOE, a member of Democracy Hub said.

The environmental devastation caused by unregulated gold-mining operations has triggered growing demands for urgent government action, including a state of emergency in mining areas and the cancellation of mining licenses.

Ghana, which is grappling with an economic crisis, is set to soon resume debt repayment in two weeks.

According to the Ghana Chambers of Mines, the core mining and quarrying sub-sector’s (excluding oil and gas) growth rate tapered from 28.9 per cent in 2022 to 7.2 per cent in 2023.

Activist Bernard Mornah calls for a shift of paradigm: “We have done this mining for God knows how long. Tell me that mineral revenue is responsible for the development of any infrastructure in this country. We still go to borrow and come and fix all the problems of this country. Isn’t that sickening?”

The walk ended at the Christ the King Temple, where a petition was presented.

The choice of the spot is particularly symbolic, as it is located next to the Revolution Square, a site previously denied to democracy activists, which was met with heavy-handed tactics.

It remains to be seen whether this signals a shift towards a more accommodating police strategy for protests or if it reflects the continuation of selective justice.

Africanews/Hauwa M.