'Galamsey knows no party' - Methodist Bishop

The outgoing Bishop of the Methodist Church, Kumasi Diocese, Rt Rev Stephen Kwaku Owusu has made a passionate appeal to President John Dramani Mahama, his administration, and other opposition parties among others to depoliticize the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, to safeguard the nation's future.

He emphasized that for the battle against land and water destruction to be successful, the President’s advisors and all political actors must set aside partisan interests and tribal sentiments, which are described as being "more dangerous" than currently perceived.

The Reverend Minister stressed that galamsey is an existential threat that does not discriminate based on political affiliation.

"We need to do away with all politics and fight this as Ghanaians. Galamsey doesn’t know the ruling party, and it doesn’t know the opposition party; it affects everyone now and will be even worse in the future," he noted.

He added that there is an urgent demand for both the ruling party and the opposition to form a united front.

To him, the president cannot win this fight alone if those surrounding him continue to view the crisis through a political or tribal lens.

According to him, if immediate, non-partisan action isn't taken against the canker, it is a recipe for a dangerous future of Ghana.

"I can anticipate a very dangerous future for Ghana because this is destroying our country. We need to know that this is a national emergency," he warned.

He concluded his appeal by revealing that the survival of the country's natural resources depends on a collective Ghanaians-first approach.

"By removing tribalism and political point-scoring from the equation, the nation can finally address the root causes of illegal mining and protect the heritage of future generations".