The PCG Chairman of the Asante Presbytery says the government's fight against galamsey is non-negotiable.

Reverend Benson Osafo Kantanka

By Akosua Frema Frempong

Reverend Benson Osafo Kantanka, chairman of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana's Asante Presbytery, has urged the government to take a humane approach to the galamsey menace in the country in order to find an enduring solution to the canker.

He emphasized that the government's struggle against galamsey is non-negotiable. At the 101st Asante Presbytery Session in Kumasi, Rev. Benson Osafo Kantanka reported on his stewardship as chair of the Asante Presbytery over the previous five years. It was conducted with the theme "Christ in you, the Hope of Glory"

The Asante Presbytery is one of the earliest presbyteries established by the first Presbyterian Church Synod, which convened in Kyebi on July 21, 1922. Since its founding, the Asante Presbytery has grown to 41 districts with a total membership of over 179,000 and an annual growth rate of more than 15,000 members. Annually, delegates from all districts under the Asante Presbytery convene to assess the previous year's accomplishments, challenges, and activities in order to plan for the future. This year's Asante Presbytery Session marks the conclusion of Reverend Benson Owusu Kantanka's five-year term as chairperson.

The Presbytery was able to establish 78 preaching points under his stewardship. Additionally, the Presbytery proposed extending its missions to individuals with hearing loss in all districts through the sign language school. During the tenure of Rev. Osefo Kantanka, a thriving youth movement was proposed to serve as ambassadors for my soul-winning. Rev. Benson Osafo Kantanka, defending his stewardship before the Presbytery, entrusted the government with finding a permanent solution to national issues such as the galamsey menace and taking a clear stance on LGBTQ+.

"The galamsey menace remains unresolved, and it has a negative impact on our water bodies and general health. I respectfully implore the government to find a lasting solution to the problem by convening a round table and consultative conference with our members of parliament, chiefs, opinion leaders, and other stakeholders to provide input for consideration and necessary action to eradicate the menace. In this regard, the church as a stakeholder has a significant role to perform.Our country is new to LGBTQ+ behavior, and we must take a stand for our people.

However, those within it should not be mistreated; we must aid and encourage them so they can become a part of us.We pray that we will approach this LGBTQ+ issue with civility and without political divisions. Some discuss it by politicizing it, but we must passionately discuss its evils and how to address them.

The lack of discipline in our society today, particularly among our youth in schools, homes, offices, workplaces, on our roadways, and in some extreme cases, in churches. Corruption and bribery have become prevalent phrases in our society, and we have willingly accepted them as the norm. As God's people, we must employ a comprehensive strategy to combat the epidemic. Prayer is effective, but prayer without action has no effect. He lamented that the church has a crucial role to play in improving the situation by teaching and proselytizing about good Christian morals from our pulpits.

The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Dr. Stephen Amoah, urged Ghanaians to adopt productive attitudes.

''Some youth in the current administration are engaged in galamsey activities, and they must be counseled to halt the blight. Even the fish we consume has been found to contain lead and heavy metals, which, when consumed, can cause cancer. We should modify our approach to work in order to increase productivity. Our younger generation should be properly educated in order to prepare them for their future roles as decent citizens. The country is richly endowed with commercially viable natural resources, forest, semi-forest, savannah, semi-savannah, coastal belt, and large labour size, with skilled components including good physicians and good lawyers; why, then, is it so impoverished? Each of us contributes to the problem.Until we renew our mentality, we will continue to preach everything we know about God without producing any fruitful results.It is therefore time to free the nation from collectivism, he stated.

Long-serving employees and Junior Youth members who participated in the Moderator's essay competition received awards.