A group of Catholic prayer walk participants have touted the initiative as a potential solution to resolve the issue of galamsey (illegal mining) in Ghana.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, in collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, and Catholic Lay Faithful and Professionals, is organizing an Environmental Prayer Protest Walk today, October 11.
Participants, in an interview with happyghana.com, explained that various human efforts have been made to appeal to the government, but none has yielded results. According to Beautiful Beauty, a participant, “it is time for Ghana to turn to spiritual means by relying on the Lord to prompt the government to take decisive action against galamsey and its harmful effects.”
“We pray that God will touch the hearts of our leaders in government as we place our hope in Mother Mary and the Lord to bring about the necessary changes for the benefit of all Ghanaians through this prayer walk,” said Sarafin from the Tema All Saints Catholic Church.
The walk, which began at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, will lead participants to Christ the King Parish Grotto, where Catholics will continue to pray for the nation. They aim to raise awareness of galamsey’s destructive impact on the environment, urge immediate government intervention, and call for a state of emergency regarding mining activities near water bodies, river buffers, and forest reserves.