Illegal miners attack media for bad press

The leadership of Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM) has attacked media reportage which sought to encourage clamping down of every illegal mining activity in the country.

“The media now have evil agenda against galamsey business. In cases where they are supposed to talk about positive things we are doing in the country, they talk about only the negative because there is an agenda” National President of GNASSM, Rev. Kusi told members in Kumasi.

The president stated that members deserve recommendations from the government for their contributions to growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The members bemoaned the fact that government, individuals, journalists as well as civil societies have deliberately launched an agenda to clamp down their God-given business all in the name to protecting natural reserves.

According to the association, the move to stop thousands of their members from exploiting the natural minerals cannot be a panacea to reclaim the lost environment.

While acknowledging that members wash their trailing into water bodies to cause water pollution, the leadership condemned the practice describing it as an irresponsible method of mining.

They proposed that law enforcement agencies be up and doing to check the illegalities on the water bodies by arresting criminals for prosecution.