Congregants at Gethsemane Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Achimota, particularly the youth from the Young People’s Guild (YPG), are protesting against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Dressed in red attire and holding placards, they made their dissatisfaction known about the environmental destruction caused by the menace aligning with a broader call by the national YPG.
The action aims to raise awareness about the urgency of addressing illegal mining activities, which have resulted in widespread environmental degradation and loss of livelihoods.
Speaking to Channel One News, President of the Gethsemane YPG, Rufus Attiso, called for more government intervention to curb galamsey, emphasising that the future of the country's natural resources, particularly its water bodies, is at stake
He said, “Well, definitely, if we recall, the president once said that he will put his presidency on the line. Yes. And I think from the beginning, it was something that was very good. You could see that they were doing a lot. But now, it is getting worse by the day.”
“And it is clear that most of the people doing this galamsey are people in government, so if the government does not rise, if the whole country will not rise against it it will become a thing that we cannot control as time goes on.”
“The reason why we are organising this demonstration is to tell the whole nation and the world that we the Presbyterian youth are not for this and we’ll fight it and fight it to the end. This is just the beginning, and we’ll continue to do it until we get the results.”
-Citinewsroom