"Jungle Gold" documentary: Gov't to track down two US nationals

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has stated emphatically that government will track down two Americans who filmed themselves in Ghana, as they engaged in illegal small scale mining in Romaso, in the Ashanti Region.

The reality documentary dubbed 'Jungle Gold' has become a popular TV series on the Discovery Channel on DSTV.

It depicts severe brutalities meted out to farmers in the remote community by the illegal miners from the US state of Utah.

In one of the scenes, a local Ghanaian farmer who protested the destruction of his cocoa farm, is seen being strangled till he passed out by one of the Americans.

Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Inusah Fuseini said he has been given preliminary briefing on the matter.

According to the Minister, the Association of Small Scale Miners in the area has been to his outfit to raise concerns about the issue.

He said the Chairman of the Association informed him the Americans, who had come to lodge at his hotel, informed him [Chairman] they got approval from higher authorities, but they could not show proof of this.

'Nobody who is a non-Ghanaian is permitted by law to engage in that activity [small scale mining]', the Minister stressed.

He stated that the two Americans will be tracked down and arrested.

Joy News has learnt that officials of the Information Ministry are looking into how the two Americans came to start filming the series in Ghana.