Dzifa Gunu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Digital Centres Limited, has told his fellow National Democratic Congress (NDC) members to accept the Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s call for decisive action against galamsey.
According to Dzifa Gunu, the Catholic Bishops’ statement would benefit the entire nation and strengthen the NDC government’s legacy.
He expressed worry over the negative reactions from some NDC members toward the bishops’ recent statement.
Dzifa Gunu further emphasised that the Catholic Bishops have been consistent, adding that under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, they staged a historic demonstration against “galamsey”, which was the first of its kind in Ghana.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, September 16, 2025, Dzifa Gunu wrote, “I have noted with deep concern how some of us have taken the call by the Catholic Bishops Conference on the president to act decisively on the ‘galamsey’ issue negatively”
“I am begging every one of us to accept their calls in good faith. Their calls will not benefit them alone neither will it help the opposition in any way, but if heeded to will rather benefit all of us as a country and the government in particular,” he added.
His post added, “This isn’t the first time they have made such calls, in fact, under the NPP they went as far as staging a demonstration, the first time in the history of this country that the Catholic Bishops Conference went on a demonstration,” he stated.
Dzifa Gunu, however, expressed confidence in Mahama, “If I know HE Mahama very well, he will be happy with their advocacy and will do everything to see the end of this rot.”
He further urged NDC supporters to remain focused, tolerate fair criticism, and avoid dismissing the clergy’s efforts.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, in a statement issued on Monday, September 15, 2025, once again reiterated its calls for President John Dramani Mahama to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining (galamsey).
According to the Catholic Bishops’ in January and May 2025, they met President Mahama, but his response to their demand for a declaration of a state of emergency was unsatisfactory.
The Catholic Bishops cried out that once-pristine rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra, Birim, Offin, and Ayensu are now poisoned with mercury and toxic effluents.
They cited that turbidity levels in the Ayensu River have reached 32,000 NTU compared to the Ghana Water Company’s treatment threshold of 2,500 NTU, warning that purification is now impossible.
The Bishops wrote, “Illegal and unregulated mining, commonly known as galamsey, has become one of the gravest afflictions of our time.
It ravages our rivers and forests, poisons our soil, endangers public health, corrupts governance, erodes our moral fibre, and extinguishes livelihoods.
This is not a routine challenge to be managed with half-measures; it is a national emergency requiring decisive, extraordinary response,” the bishops said.
The Bishop highlighted that the desecration of creation through galamsey is a grave sin against God.
“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. To desecrate creation through galamsey is not only an offence against neighbour; it is a grave sin against God Himself, the Creator and Owner of all,” they declared.
The Catholic Bishops statement added, “Farmers can no longer trust the land to sustain their families, and our capacity to feed the nation diminishes. Children, seduced by the mirage of quick riches, forsake school for perilous pits, many losing their lives in collapses that are both tragic and preventable.”
“This betrayal of trust cuts to the very marrow of our national identity. We call such leaders to repentance without delay.”
The Catholic Bishops further expressed dismay at President Mahama’s refusal to declare a state of emergency.
They added, “In both January and May 2025, delegations of our Conference raised these concerns directly with him, only to be met with unsatisfactory responses focused narrowly on economic gain.
“At his ‘Meet the Press’ session of 10 September 2025, he dismissed calls for a state of emergency. This is profoundly troubling. The hour is late. Delay is betrayal. Now, not tomorrow, not later, is the time to act.”
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, however, warned that declaring a state of emergency in galamsey-affected areas may be necessary, but it is not sufficient to address the full extent of the devastation.
“While urgent, a declaration is insufficient. Ghana requires a holistic, integrated national strategy”, the statement read.
According to the Bishops, the government must prosecute not only the poor but also the powerful.
“His government must prosecute not only the poor but also the powerful; not only the weak but also the well-connected. Without courage, no policy will stand, no law will hold, no declaration will succeed.”
“This struggle is not merely about law enforcement. It concerns the very soul of Ghana. It is about whether we choose life or death, blessing or curse. With God’s grace, let us choose life, for ourselves, for our children, and for generations yet unborn.”