Fighting galamsey is difficult because it is now a bread-and-butter issue - Small scale miners

According to the Association of Small Scale Miners, the fight against illegal mining, also known as galamsey, has become difficult because it is now a bread-and-butter issue.

Godwin Armah, the Association’s General Secretary stated that because many of the illegal miners are unemployed and hungry, they have decided to engage in illegal mining as a means of survival, despite the dangers and negative impacts on our water bodies.

Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, he furthered that we must fight galamsey at the community level.

He added that there is a political aspect to the fight because politicians exploit the situation and make promises in order to gain political power.

He stated that as elections approach, the fight against the galamsey menace takes a dive.

"Fighting galamsey has a political line, I’ve realised over the years. Every year leading up to an election, the fight is put on hold, and we begin again after the election. This has made the battle more difficult. However, this should not deter us from fighting the galamsey.

"We must stop politicizing the issue and instead be bold and courageous in our fight against the galamsey. In dealing with galamsey, the President must be bold and support his appointees. There is no political will. We lack political will, and this is true of all of our presidents. If we do not address the problem, we will suffer.”