The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has called for intensified efforts in the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Addressing a media briefing on Tuesday, March 31, the General Secretary of the Council, Rev. Dr Cyril Fayose, expressed deep concern over the nation’s “growing environmental crisis”, specifically targeting the twin evils of illegal mining and poor waste management.
Commenting on upcoming initiatives, Dr Fayose announced that this year’s Christian Home Week (CHW) will be held under the theme “A Clean Environment, Our Responsibility”.
Unlike previous years, the 2026 celebrations will move beyond the pulpit to directly address the degradation of Ghana’s water bodies and forests.
The Council highlighted the dire state of the Pra, Ankobra, Birim, and Offin rivers, all of which remain heavily polluted by galamsey operations.
When asked specifically to evaluate the government’s performance in this struggle, Dr Fayose acknowledged that certain measures have been established.
However, he noted that Ghana’s environment remains under severe threat as illegal mining continues to contaminate major water bodies.
“Ghana’s environment is under severe threat. Illegal mining, galamsey, has polluted major rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra, Birim, and Offin. So it is one of the areas we want to look at. Regarding the government’s work so far, our assessment is that I think the government is putting in a lot of efforts. We have NAIMOS. Other people are working hard to deal with galamsey. But I must say that unfortunately the situation has not improved very much,” he stated.
He further explained that heavy metals still settle in the nation’s waters while turbidity levels continue to rise.
Consequently, he proposed that the government better resource the NAIMOS team and other task forces to enhance their effectiveness, noting that illegal miners currently appear to be outwitting enforcement groups.
“They are working very hard, but it looks like what they have done so far is not good enough to curb the situation. So the difference is not much,” he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
