The Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp, Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Accra, has re-emphasised his appeal to President John Dramani Mahama concerning the urgent need to tackle illegal mining, also known as “Galamsey,”
During his pastoral visit to the Divine Mercy Catholic Church at Okponglo on the occasion of Divine Mercy Sunday, Archbishop Kwofie reminded President Mahama of his promise to combat illegal mining.
He also reminded Ghana’s president that he only has “ten days remaining in the 120-day period set by him to tackle the menace.”
He said, “Mr. President, your children are dying one by one because you have not called the so-called actors to put a stop to it. Your children are getting sick one by one because we left illegal mining to contaminate the water we drink. Please, His Excellency John Mahama, act now. What is stopping you from banning it? Remember, you gave us 120 days from 7 January. Today, marks 110 days. We are left with 10 days to go.”
Archbishop Kwofie also reiterated Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si”, which talks about the care of our common home and the environment and stated the importance of abiding by the late Pope’s teachings.
“We mourn him because we know what we are doing to our “Common Home”.
The Chief Shepherd of Accra called on everyone, small or old, rich or poor, to put stop to Galamsey or illegal mining. We don’t need to mourn the demise of His Holiness if we do not care or worry about our environment. Mr. President, we are worried, indeed very worried. ”, he added.
He, therefore, urged the President to deploy security personnel to protect vulnerable forest zones from illegal activities.
He also added that, “Catholics and all good people of Ghana are against the exploitation of the environment and we think that the way we are shaping our future is a boomerang.”
“If we truly respect our Pope who has gone to the Lord and was buried yesterday, let us look in the faces of one another and tell each other you must stop Galamsey,” he added
By Veronica Sena Amenya/Newswatchgh.com
