Methodist Church Presiding Bishop Urges President Mahama to Fulfill Galamsey Promise: “It Is the Person Who Made the Promise Who Must Account”
The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev. Johnson Kwabena Asamoah Gyadu, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to personally account for his campaign promise to deal with galamsey (illegal mining) within three weeks.
Speaking during the 16th S.H. Amissah Memorial Lecture held at the Wesley Methodist Cathedral in Koforidua on Sunday, the Bishop said he was not calling on others to hold the President accountable — rather, the President himself must do so.
“I think the president himself must call himself to account. I don’t say this lightly,” he stated.
He reminded the audience that during the election campaign, President Mahama assured Ghanaians he would tackle the galamsey menace within three weeks of taking office.
“So I’m not going to call anybody to account. It is the person who made the promise who must account for his promise,” the Presiding Bishop charged.
The lecture was held under the theme “Ghana’s galamsey menace: causes and effects – The dilemma of economic versus social survival for stakeholders.” It was delivered by Mr Erastus Asare Donkor and chaired by Bro. Kwasi Atta-Antwi, the Lay President of Conference.
The event honoured Bro. John E.K. Pratt, the 5th Lay President of the Methodist Conference (2011–2014), for his leadership, integrity, and commitment to the Church’s mission. In his welcome address, the Lay Chairman of the Koforidua Diocese, Bro. Samuel Kwesi Appah-Peniel, described Bro. Pratt as “a living legend, a man of solid brand, one whose faith and character as a Methodist is unbridled.”
The Presiding Bishop’s remarks have added a strong moral and spiritual voice to the growing public pressure on the government to deliver on its anti-galamsey commitments, amid continued environmental degradation and community concerns over illegal mining activities.
Source: 16th S.H. Amissah Memorial Lecture at Wesley Methodist Cathedral, Koforidua
