The Christian Council of Ghana has urged the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government to as a matter of urgency put in place measures to end illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey. In a statement issued on Monday, October 17, 2022, the council said the menace must end now because it is becoming an existential threat to Ghana. It added that even though it appreciates the pronouncement of the president on the fight against the menace, he and his appointees can do more to stop galamsey. “For many years now, our sovereign country Ghana has been witnessing under our very naked eyes, the saddest "environmental coup d'état" ever unleashed upon our nation, heralding a programmed and complete "ecological disaster" or destruction. “We do appreciate President Akufo- Addo's call to end galamsey, but the facts of the results of his government's efforts on the ground indicate that more can and ought to be done. “We believe that Parliamentarians, Ministers of State, Municipal Chief Executives, District Chief Executives, Assemblymen and women and other government agents in the localities cannot claim ignorance of the people who are involved in galamsey and the places where these detestable acts are carried out,” parts of the statement read. The council further stated that there is evidence that persons who are supposed to be fighting galamsey are rather benefiting from the menace. “A recent documentary produced by the Multimedia Group and previous documentaries on galamsey has shown how some law enforcement agents provide security and protection for the illegal miners instead of protecting the interest of Ghana,” it said. It added that “This is the time to put Ghana first beyond political party affiliations and personal gains in order to secure a better future for our children, this is the whole basis of sustainable development. The adverse impacts of galamsey are seriously undermining our collective national efforts to achieve our sustainable development goals.” You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV: IB/DO