Reverend Andrew Campbell, a Catholic Priest and philanthropist, says every Ghanaian has a role to play in ending the menace of illegal mining which is wreaking havoc on the environment and water bodies in the country.
He said illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey, did not only affect the environment, forest reserves and water bodies but also posed a serious health risk to the people in the country and called on all well-being Ghanaians to join forces to advocate responsible mining.
Reverend Campbel said this in Accra during the opening of the second edition of the Ghana Philanthropy Conference on the theme: “Volunteerism as Civic Action” to advance the importance of volunteerism in contributing to national development.
It was organised by STAR-Ghana Foundation in partnership with other organisations and institutions including the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), the University of Ghana Centre for Social Policy Studies, the CSOs SDGs Platform and the National Youth Authority among others.
The conference brought together civil society actors, young activists and advocates and people from academia among others to inspire the spirit of volunteerism among people, especially the youth.
Reverend Campbell emphasised the need for people to volunteer their time and resources and to take action to fight illegal mining rather than merely talk about the menace.
“Each of us has a role to play, either advocating responsible mining or participating in local clean-up. We have to do something.
We complain too much, we criticize too much, and we insult too much. We have to stop and go and do something. Walk your talk. We are stewards of our environment. We (have to) take responsibility”, he explained.
Talking about volunteerism, Reverend Campbel indicated that there was the need to listen to God’s call and to act in that direction without failure.
Mr Ibrahim Wumbey, a Senior Research Officer at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, pointed out that the ministry prioritised youth volunteerism as crucial for national development.
“It is true that by volunteering, individuals may have a concrete impact on communities and the world at large.
Volunteers contribute to the establishment of a resilient community and sustainable development by spending their time, energy, and enthusiasm on them”, he stated.
He explained that volunteerism also fostered social cohesion, promoted active citizenship and developed valuable skills among young people necessary for their personal and national development.
Mr Wumbey indicated that despite the efforts of the ministry to promote volunteerism among the youth through its projects, it was faced with several challenges that hindered those efforts including limited financial resources and inadequate infrastructure.
Mr Daniel Kodzo Fiawortror, a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, announced an upcoming national consultation towards developing a proposed National Volunteerism Policy.
He said the planned consultation sought to solicit the views of Ghanaians to create a robust policy framework that encouraged volunteerism and supports active citizenship and community-driven development across the nation.
Panellists at the conference advocated the need for volunteerism to be deliberately taught in school and other means to inspire that spirit in young people.
The panelists also argued that volunteerism had several intrinsic and extrinsic benefits including building once social capital and in turn developing people into active politics or activism.
Comments