Some religious groups have begun joining the fight against illegal mining popularly referred to as ‘galamsey’ in the country.
Chairman of the Pentecost Church, Apostle Professor Opoku Nyina says Ghana is trading the future of its children if galamsey is left to thrive.
“We are destroying our lands and digging our own graves and if we continue to do what we are doing now, there is no future for us or our children as they won’t have a better Ghana,” he said.
Galamsey is presenting a threat to the lives of many children as Joy News investigations have revealed that illegal mining is the reason why many students are either skipping or dropping out of school in parts of the Eastern region.
In the Atiwa district, it came to the fore, the children are trading their education for illegal mining and quick cash.
The worried Professor said this calls for all those “who are in authority; government, chiefs and every Ghanaian should work very hard to stop this issue.”
He said mining should be reserved for only the licensed individuals and companies.
Apostle Prof. Nyina said policies should be put in place so that people cannot mine where they are not given permission.
He is worried that even the licensed individuals and companies also wantonly abuse the environment as most of them fail to cover the pits they dig.
“All these are dangerous for humanity and I think all of us should contribute to putting a stop to this grievous activity in the country,” he said.
He said as a church they are ready to educate the people when government comes out with any policy to stop the illegal mining.
In a related development, a campaign has been launch in Accra by the coalition of media houses including Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and The Ghanaian Times to demand an end to galamsey.
They are promising government their full support in the fight against galamsey emphasising that the issue would not be a touch and go, one anymore.
According to them, they would dedicate more airtime and space to the cause of fighting the social menace, engage stakeholders in more debate as well as go hard on chiefs and other authorities who acts contribute to galamsey flourishing.
The coalition has started an online petition for others in support to sign on.