President John Dramani Mahama has said that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is not against illegal mining popularly known as ‘galamsey’.

Addressing a rally at Nkroful in the Western Region, the NDC flagbearer said his government is committed to ensuring the best practices are adhered to.

“We are not against galamsey [illegal mining] but we want to regulate it so that when you make trenches in the ground with the excavator, you would not leave it like that but rather cover it after getting the gold,” he stated.

President Mahama said: “We [government] will work with you to ensure that everyone will be able to fend for themselves.

“We will do things properly and give small scale mining permits to people who will be responsible for making sure that things are done properly.”