Stop the Gold for Poison

A lecturer at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Dr. Eric Gyimah, has issued a strong warning to Ghanaians to “stop exchanging gold for poison,” insisting that illegal mining is destroying the nation’s future and provoking nature to “fight back.”

Speaking on the theme: “Living Ecologically Just” at the 5th National Public Lecture and World Environment Day Commemoration held at UMaT, Tarkwa, Dr. Gyimah said the environmental crisis confronting Ghana is both scientific and spiritual.

“Nature will always fight back,” he cautioned, adding that the country must urgently halt illegal mining before it destroys generations to come. “We need not kill our future,” he stressed. According to him, ecological justice is not merely a technical or academic matter but a moral and spiritual responsibility.

“While academia offers the torch of evidence, the church offers the torch of prophetic witness,” he said. “Together, they can light a path toward a healed creation and anchor our environmental stewardship.” Dr. Gyimah challenged participants to reflect deeply on the consequences of environmental destruction.

He asked, “What will be left for the future if we continue threatening the environment the way we do? Have we not drifted from our ultimate responsibilities toward ecological justice?” He explained that academic institutions possess vast but often underutilised knowledge and research capacity that can help combat illegal mining, deforestation, water pollution, and other ecological threats.

Bridging the gap between scientific evidence and public action, he said, is now the most urgent requirement for national sustainability. “Now is the time to put all hands on the table and cry out for ecological justice,” he declared. “Our silence and inaction will only advance our global threats to a regrettable moment.”

Dr. Gyimah added that anyone who truly appreciates the wonders of creation will have “less taste for its destruction.” He prayed that national efforts toward environmental protection would be strengthened by God and bear fruit for future generations.

He also commended the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for its leadership in environmental advocacy. “Environmental stewardship is a mandate; it is not an option,” he said, praising the Church for sustaining the national conversation.

The Registrar of UMaT, Dr. Andoh Robertson, also lauded the PCG, noting that the Church has been “doing remarkably well” in championing ecological justice and mobilising public awareness.