The Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp, Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, has once again expressed grave concern towards illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey in the country.
“There is looting in the river bodies, there is looting in our forests; there is looting through illegal mining,” he lamented before sharing his homily at the St. Charles Lwanga Parish at Abeka on June 15, 2025.
He criticized both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for their inaction, questioning why a ban on illegal mining has still not been implemented.
He questioned, “What should stop the NDC from banning it? Is it for self-interest that it is still ongoing? Is it the people of Ghana who do not allow them to place a ban on it? We even cried to President Akufo-Addo and NPP gurus. And again, they denied us help.”
“They are waiting till we have all died of sickness we pick from eating the fruit of the land fish from the rivers or drinking polluted water or meat from grazing animals. Galamsey looks AS IF it is both parties, the NDC and NPP that are involved,” he stated.
According to the Archbishop, the “menace” in the country can be addressed through shared responsibility among all citizens and leaders.
Archbishop Kwofie while speaking also questioned the role of the Naval and Air forces saying, “How does it happen that a country with Naval officers fighting for us at the sea, the Air Force who fight for us by air and the military who are supposed to fight for us in our land, can be at their posts and are infiltrated by Galamseyers destroying our environment?“
He urged the leaders of the country to tackle illegal mining to avoid sicknesses and the various pollution caused by galamsey.
By: Veronica Sena Amenya//Newswatchgh/ Newswatchgh.com
