Gov’t ready to deal with illegal Chinese miners

Inusah Fuseini, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has expressed Government’s commitment to flush out all unauthorised Chinese miners and other illegal operators in the small mining sector to avert the looming environmental crisis.

He observed that the growing security and environmental challenges posed by illegal Chinese miners are creating “a bad public image for China in Ghana, and it could damage the growing friendship between Ghana and China”.

“Ghana has forged an enviable bilateral relations with the Republic of China; we will therefore not allow illegal Chinese miners to jeopardise or mar a flourishing friendship which has provided immense benefits to both countries, particularly Ghana,” he said.

He therefore advised illegal Chinese miners to initiate steps to secure appropriate licence to establish legitimate large-scale enterprises in Ghana, and revealed that some Chinese companies have already been granted exploration licences.

Fuseini said this when Gong Jianzhong, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, paid a courtesy call on him in Accra. 

Mr. Jianzhong dismissed suggestions that Ghana-China relations are in distress over the activities of illegal Chinese miners, but pledged his government’s unflinching support and cooperation with the Ministry’s efforts to address the influx of illegal Chinese miners into the country.

 Jianzhong advocated a very comprehensive strategy that could include a moratorium to prohibit local miners and chiefs from selling small-scale mining licences and lands to illegal Chinese miners.

 He called for critical evaluation of the operations of holders of small-scale licences issued by the Ministry, as well as an effective mechanism to protect farmlands and help address the galamsey menace in a holistic manner.

He revealed that a number of initiatives are being undertaken by the Chinese authorities to stem the tide, adding that his government has embarked on an elaborate educational campaign to caution Chinese miners to refrain from travelling to Ghana to engage in illegal mining.