The Acting Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA) and a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dzifa Gunu, has urged party supporters to embrace the Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s call for decisive action against illegal small-scale mining, also known as “galamsey”, rather than criticising it.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, September 16, 2025, Dzifa Gunu pleaded for tolerance and acceptance of the clergy’s advocacy, emphasising that addressing “galamsey” would benefit the entire nation and strengthen the NDC government’s legacy.
Gunu expressed concern over negative reactions from some NDC members toward the bishops’ recent statement urging President John Dramani Mahama to tackle “galamsey” decisively.
“I have noted with deep concern how some of us have taken the call by the Catholic Bishops Conference on the president to act decisively on the ‘galamsey’ issue negatively,” he wrote.
State of emergency demands grow as more groups pile pressure on govt over galamsey
“I am begging every one of us to accept their calls in good faith. Their calls will not benefit them alone neither will it help the opposition in any way but if heeded to will rather benefit all of us as a country and the government in particular,” he added.
Highlighting the clergy’s consistency, Dzifa Gunu recalled that under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference staged a historic demonstration against “galamsey”, the first of its kind in Ghana.
“This isn’t the first time they have made such calls, in fact, under the NPP they went as far as staging a demonstration, the first time in the history of this country that the Catholic Bishops Conference went on a demonstration,” he stated.
Dzifa Gunu expressed confidence in President Mahama’s commitment, stating, “If I know HE Mahama very well, he will be happy with their advocacy and will do everything to see the end of this rot.”
He urged supporters to remain focused, tolerate fair criticism, and avoid dismissing the clergy’s efforts, which aim to protect Ghana’s environment and public health.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference has been vocal about the devastating impact of “galamsey”, including water pollution, deforestation, and health risks from toxic chemicals like mercury.
Their recent statement comes on the back of growing public agitation, including planned protests by FixTheCountry Movement, scheduled for September 21-22, 2025, in Accra.
Shoot-to-kill approach will end galamsey, let’s be ruthless and use it – Lecturer
In a statement dated September 15, 2025, and signed by its President, Most Rev Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani, the Conference urged President John Dramani Mahama to declare a state of emergency in “galamsey”-affected areas to combat the escalating environmental and social crisis.
Describing illegal small-scale mining as a “cancer in our national soul” and a national security threat, the bishops criticised the government’s inadequate response, including President Mahama’s dismissal of emergency measures during his September 10 media encounter, calling delay a “betrayal of future generations.”
They proposed bold strategies like overhauling mining laws, creating specialised courts for prosecutions, establishing a corruption-proof task force, and prosecuting influential figures, while calling on politicians, chiefs, security, and religious leaders to prioritise national interest over partisanship.
GA/VPO
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