AFRICA/GHANA - Environmental Prayer Walk: against illegal mining

Accra (Agenzia Fides) - The fight against illegal mining “Galamsey”, which pollutes waterways, destroys forests and livelihoods and causes serious health and environmental risks for communities, is the aim of the “Environmental Prayer Walk” organized by the Archdiocese of Accra in collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious Ghana (CMSR-GH).

"The event, called 'Environmental Prayer Walk'," writes the President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious Ghana, Father Paul Ennin of the Society of African Missions (SMA), in a note sent to Fides, "will take place on Friday, October 11, 2024 and is in line with our initiatives for the Holy Year 2025: Care for creation and protection of the environment."

"This initiative reflects our civil, community and religious commitment to our land and its ecosystem, which is being destroyed," notes Metropolitan Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie, C.S.Sp., in a message addressed to all priests, religious and lay people of the Archdiocese for the occasion.

According to reports and human rights groups, dozens of miners have died in recent years when mines collapse, while hospitals and health centers report a high number of early deaths from lung diseases among miners and residents of towns and villages near the mines. These are caused by inhaling dust containing heavy metals such as lead, as well as the toxic fumes of mercury and nitric acid that miners use to extract gold from the sediments. The chemicals are then dumped into the soil or rivers. The Ghana Water Authority says mercury and heavy metals from mining have already contaminated about 65% of water sources.

“On October 11, we will undertake a prayer march for peace, praying the rosary, which is our weapon against all enemies. We will gather at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Adabraka, Accra, to pray, walk through the main streets and conclude the event with a Holy Mass at the Christ the King Grotto in Cantonment, Accra District. Finally, we will present a petition to the Presidency at Jubilee House," Archbishop Kwofie concluded.

Local statistics show that illegal gold mining grew at a dizzying pace in 2024, following the almost 30 percent increase in global gold prices. According to the Ghana Mining Authority, gold mines produced 1.2 million ounces of gold in the first seven months of this year, more than in the whole of 2023. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 9/10/2024)

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