Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it." Also, he said Psalm 104 describes the beauty of God's creation.
From the majestic mountains to the tiniest creatures, all of creation is a testament to God's glory and love." He said in the book of Proverbs 12:10 (NIV), humankind is reminded: "The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." "This verse highlights the importance of stewardship over God's creation, which is being compromised by these illegal activities," Dr Agyinasare observed, as he screened to the congregation, videos of fish suffocating in water bodies devastated by galamsey.
The same can be said of the Ankobra and Pra.
He bemoaned that instead of "filling the earth and subduing it," as God commanded man to do in Genesis 1:28 (NIV), humankind is rather destroying it. "We are called to be caretakers of the earth, yet galamsey leads to the degradation of our lands and water bodies, contradicting this divine mandate," Dr Agyinasare pointed out.
In his view, poverty, unemployment and the get-rich-quick mentality are the "root causes of galamsey." "Many individuals turn to illegal mining as a means of survival," the preacher noted.
He mentioned, also that the "insatiable desire for wealth drives many to engage in destructive practices, often at the expense of their communities and the environment," as written in Ecclesiastes 5:9-10 NKJV: "Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.
This also is vanity." He showed a video to the congregation which captured people "running" and "rushing" to do galamsey in "your country." Additionally, Archbishop Agyinasare quoted the Ghana Minerals Commission as acknowledging in 2020 that: "Weak Regulatory framework - the lack of effective regulation and enforcement of mining laws, contributes to the persistence of galamsey." Archbishop Agyinasare, however, was quick to point out that: "Mining is not bad," noting: "There are people who are not illegal miners.
We must encourage such, but the illegal mining, we must stop." Apart from the aforementioned factors, he identified corruption and lack of political will as critical drivers of galamsey, too, saying: "Without strong enforcement mechanisms, illegal miners operate with impunity." Archbishop Agyinasare also quoted the scholarly works of (Amoako, 2021), in acknowledging that galamsey is a way of life for some communities, thus, its prevalence. "In some communities, mining is viewed as a legitimate means of income, and individuals may be encouraged to participate in illegal activities.
Local chiefs often play a crucial role in the management of land and natural resources in Ghana.
Some reports suggest that they may be complicit in illegal mining activities due to financial incentives or pressure from local communities seeking economic opportunities," said Dr Agyinasare, referencing Amoako (2021) as highlighting the complex relationship between traditional authorities and illegal mining, suggesting that some chiefs may benefit from the economic gains of galamsey operations.
Archbishop Agyinasare noted that "community members often express frustration over the role of local leaders in perpetuating illegal mining," as: "Many believe that chiefs and politicians prioritise short-term financial gains over the long-term health of the environment and community welfare." "I was talking to somebody who is also a politician and he said: 'You can't believe the number of politicians who are engaged in galamsey.
This has raised concerns about corruption and the effectiveness of governance in managing natural resources." "And because of that, our politicians - whether NPP or NDC - lack the political will to stop galamsey.
The consequences of galamsey, Dr Agyinasare noted, are devastating, as alluded to by the works of Diarra et al. (2020), which provide insights into how local leaders' decisions impact environmental sustainability and community well-being in Mali, a situation with striking relevance to the galamsey problem in Ghana. "The actions of chiefs and politicians in relation to Galamsey have severe implications for environmental degradation and social conflict.
This has led to a cycle of ineffective governance and continued environmental degradation." Galamsey, Dr Agyinasare noted, "Often occurs in the shadows, under the cover of night, or during times of lax enforcement of environmental laws.
Rivers and water bodies are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of galamsey.
The use of toxic chemicals in mining processes leads posing severe health risks not only to the miners (neurological, respiratory problems and kidney damage) and surrounding communities (UNEP, 2021)." "As I studied, I found out that they are proving that a lot of the people who do the galamsey, with time they start having neurological problems and this has been proven by the UNEPA in their 2021 report.
They are beginning to have kidney damage and it is beginning to affect the surrounding communities.
The galamsey is creating water pollution, affecting aquatic life and the health of communities that rely on these water sources.
Look at the water this village is drinking (pointing to the screen) - and this used to be clear water.
This used to be clean water and they are drinking this water." Recently, Archbishop Agyinasare recalled, "They took samples of water in bottles.
They had the before and the now and when you look at the samples of the water we have, very soon, we won't even have water to drink because the mercury and the chemicals they use in galamsey seep into the soil and if we don't do something about it, very soon water that our parents could easily fetch and drink at the riverside, we'll have to be importing it.
May God give us the political will and the strength and as citizens, may we be able to confront these things." Also, it causes water pollution, which affects aquatic life and the health of communities that rely on these water sources. "The contamination of water bodies poses significant risks to public health, as many communities depend on these sources for drinking water (UNEP, 2021) in Ghana." "One of the videos I saw that broke my heart is that because of galamsey, our fish are even dying and the guys [galamseyers] are fetching the water from the river and re-directing it somewhere, so, the fish are choking and can't swim anymore.
But Beloved, we can't all shut up!" Dr Agyinasare noted, stressing: "Our land is mourning due to the destructive practices of galamsey, and we must take heed of this warning.
As parents and elderly people, what kind of land are we bequeathing to our children?
We used to be the largest exporter of cocoa.
I read a report that said that they are beginning to question the cocoa that comes from here.
Our chiefs - some of our chiefs and some of our chiefs - love the money more than the people." Unlike the Pra, Ankobra and other water bodies in Ghana which are being destroyed and polluted for their gold through galamsey, Archbishop Agyinasare said the Yukon river in Canada, which has "one of the greatest mineral deposits in the world," remains pristine and untouched because the leaders of that country are mindful of the fact that mining it "would destroy their environment; but we don't care; we are destroying our environment and our children yet-unborn, will not even have water to drink.
They can't even grow food because when they grow food, they will come and test our soil to see if our soil will stand the test of time." Archbishop Agyinasare said although a lot of harm has been done to Ghana's water bodies, the situation can still be salvaged. "It is not all doom and gloom.
We must remember that we are stewards of God's creation." He proposed some "practical steps" that must be taken to "deal" with galamsey. "As a people of faith, we are called to take action," Archbishop Agyinasare noted.
James 5:16 (NIV) reminds us that: 'The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." He concluded: "Beloved, as we reflect on the issue of galamsey, let us remember our calling to be stewards of God's creation.