The Minerals Commission has strongly condemned recent attacks on security and environmental officials engaged in the national campaign against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey. The condemnation follows reports of violent assaults on officials of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) during anti-galamsey operations in parts of the Ashanti Region, including Hwediem and Obuasi. Chief Executive Officer of the EPA, Professor Nana Ama Klutse, disclosed that a joint EPA team and accompanying journalists came under attack by illegal miners near Obuasi. The assault led to a road accident that injured several people, including a Channel One TV journalist. According to her, the incident occurred during an ongoing three-week anti-galamsey operation aimed at dismantling supply chains that sustain illegal mining in Ghana’s water bodies. The team—comprising personnel from the military and national security—was inspecting illegal mining sites at Dadwene when armed miners launched the attack, forcing them to retreat for safety. In an interview with Citi News on Friday, November 7, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Emmanuel Kwamena Anyimah, urged residents to support, rather than obstruct, officials working to stop illegal mining. “…We shouldn’t entertain such acts. We should use this medium to condemn the action of the residents of Hwediem,” he said. Mr. Anyimah also revealed that residents of Ellembelle have been allocated part of the Adamus concession under the government’s Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP)—a move designed to provide legal and sustainable mining alternatives. “This government has the political will to fight galamsey. The government has also introduced cooperative mining, and as I am speaking now, we have been seeded with a portion of Adamus’ pit. Hopefully, in the next week or two, you will see people leave the water bodies to mine in the pit. We do not need to use force,” he explained. Highlighting Ghana’s vast mineral potential, Mr. Anyimah added: “On the continent, we are sixth in terms of mining reserves in the world and first on the African continent. “We are not called Gold Coast for nothing; there is gold everywhere…but the issue is that we have to do it responsibly. So, as for the gold, people will mine, but what the President is saying is that it should be done responsibly.”