Workers at “Galamsey” claim that they are paid more than the minimum wage, saying “We earn GHC 500 a day.”

A gang of illegal miners has expressed joy at the cash benefits they have made from their unlawful mining activities.

According to the miners, each of them is paid GH500 a day to extract gold.

They said that this could not be compared to the national minimum wage.

The miners, who were clearly delighted, stated that they will continue with the act despite the government’s continued efforts to stop them.

“Akufo-Addo, I hope you can see us. We are working at night … If our machine is seized, we will use our hands to wash. Everybody gets work to do. You can make ¢500 in one day. Which of your workers do you pay ¢500 a day?”, the miners said in a viral TikTok video.

The miners stated that their location is unknown, and that the government is unaware of all ‘galamsey’ locations around the country, in what appeared to be an intentional attempt to ridicule the government’s fight against the problem.

The anonymous miners’ statements follow previous protests over the impacts of illicit mining and how the government is failing to address the issue.

In this regard, a number of well-meaning Ghanaians, notably the opposition National Democratic Congress and certain civil society organizations, have stepped up demands on the government to demonstrate more action rather than words.

Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, stated on Newsfile two weeks ago that the President must make the fight more fruitful.

Meanwhile, Kissi Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor, has begun an investigation into several public officials for possible involvement in unlawful mining.

The probe focuses on officials from the Lands Ministry, the Forestry Commission, and the now-defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

This is part of the government’s comprehensive response to the threat.