Intensify fight against galamsey with greater urgency — EP Church Moderator

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPCG), Rt Rev. Dr Lt Col Bliss Divine Kofi Agbeko (retd) has added his voice to the call for an immediate end to illegal mining in the country, saying it was purely evil for a few greedy and irresponsible individuals to destroy God’s creation for short-term gains.

He has thus called on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Parliament, and relevant authorities to act swiftly with justice to uphold the laws of the land, and to protect the environment for future generations.

In an interview at the church’s headquarters at Ho-Kpodzi last Friday, Rev. Dr Agbeko said that Ghana’s future now hung in the balance with the ravages of illegal mining, insisting the time to act to save the nation’s rivers and forest was now or never.

“There are laws regulating mining in Ghana and they must be strictly enforced; and LI 2462, which permits mining in forest reserves, must be repealed,” the Moderator said.

Acting in contradiction

The Moderator stressed that the Church and Christians could not stand aside and look on unconcerned while the God-given natural resources were being destroyed in the name of profit by miscreants.

He further said allowing mining in ecologically sensitive zones, such as the Global Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSDAs), contradicted Ghana’s commitment to environmental sustainability and stood against the biblical mandate of stewardship.

“We urge the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, to enforce stricter regulations against illegal mining in line with Article 36 (9) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates the State to protect the environment, and Section 18 of the Minerals and Mining Act (Act703), which empowers the Minister to control mineral resources and ensure compliance with environmental standards,” he added.

Sustaining the environment

Rev. Dr Agbeko explained the EPCG’s stance was also based on its guiding theme for the year 2024 – “Care for God’s creation, the mission of the church.”

He said EPCG, through its development wing, the EP Church Development and Relief Agency (EPDRA), continued to be at the forefront of environmentally sustainable activities across the country.

In that vein, the agency established tree plantations on marginal lands that served as carbon sinks and protected fragile soils.

Sadly, however, Rev. Dr Agbeko said the same forests cover which the church was trying to expand was being attacked by some reckless individuals in their insatiable and shameless crave for gold, thwarting all the contributions the church had made over the years.

“It is time the government took a definite and prompt action to halt the menace of galamsey once and for all, no matter how it hurts some people,” the Moderator said.