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Mr. Atta Kuma, Acting Managing Director of Obuasi Gold Fields Mines has decried the upsurge in galamsey operations where armed illegal miners dig deep into the ground using dynamite and bulldozers, thus bringing mining operations under serious threat. According to him, unlike previous years where indigenes of mining areas were engaged in simple galamsey, the practice today is totally different and has assumed a more organized form at the expense of Ghanaians. He was speaking in an interview with Peace FM after a tour of some mining communities at Obuasi and its environs. To ensure that galamsey operations become unattractive to the people, particularly the youth in the mining areas, certain sustainable developmental projects like fish farming, oil palm plantation and youth apprenticeship in technical courses have been made available in order for them to acquire skills. The apprenticeship training programme which was introduced at Obuasi, some 5 years ago has about 70 students enrolling each year with priorities given to those in the mining communities.