Leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference have commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the renewed determination by his government against illegal mining.

At their joint annual meeting held on Wednesday, May 5 at the St James Catholic Church in Osu, the two bodies acknowledged that the menace, popularly known as galamsey, has destroyed forests and river bodies.

They said this is glare from their pastoral and social visits to some areas.

They, therefore, expressed sadness that the menace continues to go on in some parts of the country despite efforts of stakeholders against its destructive effect.

“The galamsey menace has polluted our land (soil) and water bodies with chemicals like mercury, chlorine, cyanide and arsenic – which are harmful to human,” they stated in a communique on Friday, May 7.

With the renewed fight led by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, heightened, the Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference want concerned agencies and institutions to “be bold and courageous to sustain the campaign against illegal mining”.

“We demand that any individual, security service personnel, politician or chief found to be working to thwart the fight against illegal mining should face the full rigors of the law.”

They have also encouraged pastors to continue “their advocacy against illegal mining”.

“We also call on traditional leaders to use their authority to ban galamsey in their jurisdictions to avoid further destruction of our natural resources.”