The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has appealed to President John Mahama to establish special courts dedicated to illegal mining cases, insisting that the galamsey crisis has become a full-scale national emergency.

In a statement issued on Monday, September 15, 2025, and signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the Conference described illegal mining as “one of the gravest afflictions confronting the nation.”

It warned that the devastation of water bodies, farmlands and forests, coupled with the health risks from toxins such as mercury, was plunging Ghana into an existential crisis.

The Bishops noted that rivers, including the Pra, Birim, Ankobra, Offin and Ayens,u are now heavily polluted, with turbidity levels surpassing what the Ghana Water Company can treat.

They added that forests are being destroyed, farmlands ruined, and abandoned mining pits left as dangerous traps in communities.

“This is not a challenge to be managed with half-hearted measures; it is a national emergency requiring decisive and extraordinary response,” the statement read.

Calling for immediate reforms, the GCBC proposed the establishment of a corruption-proof task force made up of security agencies, environmental experts and local authorities.

It further urged stricter mining laws, stiffer punishments, afforestation programmes and alternative livelihoods for those engaged in galamsey.

Crucially, the Bishops demanded accountability at the highest levels, stressing that politicians, chiefs, security officers and other leaders who shield illegal operators must also face the law.

They warned that illegal mining is not only an environmental issue but also a public health and national security threat, with toxins entering the food chain, raising cancer and neurological risks, and fuelling violent conflicts in mining zones.

“This struggle is about the very soul of Ghana,” the Bishops declared. “It is a choice between life and death, blessing and curse. With God’s grace, let us choose life—for ourselves, our children, and generations yet unborn.”