The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Digital Centres Limited and a member of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dzifa Gunu, has appealed to party supporters to embrace with tolerance and humility the recent call by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference urging President John Dramani Mahama to act decisively on the menace of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
In a message to his party comrades, Gunu stressed that such interventions by respected moral leaders must not be viewed through the narrow lens of partisanship, but rather as a call to national duty.
“Dear fellow Comrades in the NDC, we have been blessed with another wonderful day to continue to reset our nation. We have to stay focused, remain tolerant, and accept fair and honest criticisms”.
Dzifa Gunu
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference recently renewed its demand for stronger action from the government in dealing with illegal mining, a practice that continues to degrade water bodies, destroy arable land, and threaten Ghana’s long-term environmental sustainability.
No Antagonism
While some sections of the ruling party appeared unsettled by the intervention, Gunu cautioned against antagonizing the clergy, describing their call as consistent and rooted in a desire to see Ghana prosper.
“I am begging everyone to accept their call in good faith. Their call will not benefit them alone nor will it help the opposition in any way, but their call, if heeded, will rather benefit all of us as a country and the government in particular.”
Dzifa Gunu
He reminded party supporters that this is not the first time the Catholic Bishops’ Conference has spoken forcefully on the matter.
According to him, during the tenure of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, the bishops staged a public demonstration against illegal mining—the first time in the nation’s history that the clergy took to the streets over such an issue.
For Gunu, the lesson is clear: the bishops’ consistency over successive administrations demonstrates their impartiality and underscores the urgency of the environmental crisis.
“Let us not antagonize them; they mean well. The galamsey issue affects us all; it will not help them or any opposition alone, but all of us as a country. If it is tackled under the NDC government, we will rather benefit more”.
Dzifa Gunu
Public Calls
His intervention comes at a time when President Mahama’s administration faces growing public calls to take bolder measures to end illegal mining.
Although the government has introduced initiatives aimed at regulating small-scale mining and protecting water bodies, civil society organizations, environmental groups, and faith-based institutions maintain that more robust enforcement and systemic reforms are urgently required.
Gunu expressed confidence that the President would welcome the bishops’ concerns rather than resent them. “If I know H.E. Mahama very well, he will be happy with their advocacy and will do everything to see the end of this rot,” he wrote.
His statement also sought to reassure NDC supporters that listening to criticism—particularly from respected institutions like the Catholic Bishops’ Conference—should be seen as an asset to governance rather than a threat.
The CEO concluded his message with a plea for patience, tolerance, and open-mindedness within the governing party. “Please be tolerant, accept fair and honest criticisms, especially from the clergy. The bishops have been consistent,” he reminded his colleagues.
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