By Boakye Stephen, Kumasi, Ghana | Reporting for Ghanaian News, Canada | April 26, 2026
Government efforts against illegal mining have come under renewed scrutiny, even as officials insist progress is being made.
Ama Mawusi Mawuenyefia, National Coordinator of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (RCOMSDEP), stated:
“The issue of galamsey, we all agree, is an issue that has come to stay with us. However, we are not debating the fact that it needs to be dealt with, and the government has done so much and significant gains have been made.”
She emphasized the need to consolidate these gains rather than dismiss them.
However, this optimism contrasts sharply with warnings from religious leadership. Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, revealed the alarming extent of environmental damage:
“The extensive pollution of water bodies due to illegal mining has hampered traditional water baptism in some mining communities, necessitating a shift to synthetic rubber pools…”
He further highlighted the destruction of farmlands and livelihoods.
Commentary (Boakye Stephen):
This is where state narrative and lived reality collide. If “significant gains” are being made, yet churches cannot find clean water for baptism, then the definition of progress must be questioned. Biblically and morally, water symbolizes purity, yet in Ghana today, it has become a symbol of contamination. This contradiction demands more than political reassurance; it demands measurable transformation.
