Religious leaders drawn from all religious groups in the country have advocated for an immediate ban on all small scale mining activities in the country as part of efforts to deal with ‘galamsey’.

The call for a ban follows the devastating effect the menace has had on the environment after the group visited some ‘galamsey’ sites over the weekend.

Speaking at a news conference in Accra on Monday on behalf of the religious leaders, National President of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI), Emmanuel Baba Mahama said all small scale mining, whether legal or not legal must be banned.

“We call for the immediate ban of all small scale mining,” he declared.

According to him, the group has observed that “many groups or companies hide behind a legal licence to wreak havoc on the environment” hence the need to ban all forms of small scale mining.

He noted that the ban should be enforced until “a workable and satisfactory road map has been established to ensure responsible mining in the country.”

Mr. Mahama also urged the government to convene an immediate stakeholder dialogue under the auspices of religious leaders in order to engage political parties, technocrats, and the media, among others, to commit to a long-term nonpartisan strategy to address the threat.

Again, the government was entreated to swiftly arrest persons involved in ‘galamsey ’to serve as a deterrent to others.

“We call for the arrest and immediate persecution of any chief who permits galamsey activities in their jurisdiction for any reason,” he added.

The National President of FGBMFI issued an ultimatum to the Metropolitan and Municipal District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to ensure that polluted water bodies in the area are clean by June 30, 2023.

He stated that “the religious leaders are ready to mobilise legal teams to go to court in this matter and have MMDCEs who have allowed this, to be barred from office.”

On his part, the Spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu said Religious Leaders are appalled about the level of destruction of the environment, food and cash crops.

He cited recent threats by the European Union to ban agricultural products from Ghana including cocoa linked to ‘galamsey’.

"The deleterious impact on our food and cash crops is so bad that even countries like Japan require extra testing of our cocoa products before they can be accepted on their markets. The European Union threatened to place an embargo on our agricultural products and we are not certain about the future which already looks gloomy."