Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Tong Defa, has asked Ghanaians to stop blaming the Chinese for illegal mining and find ways to deal with the situation.
According to him, Ghana “can never eliminate” illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, and must instead find ways to manage its environmental impact.
He made the remarks during an interaction with journalists held at his private residence in Accra on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
He posited that locals are the ones facilitating the illegal activities.
“To my understanding, in this country, you can never eliminate those small mines. Those mines, you will have illegalities involved in them,” he said. “We need to find ways to solve this problem… The government needs to work on a policy to eliminate the pollution of waters and forests.”
He added that “I don’t understand why when people say galamsey, they equate it to Chinese’’.
“Actually, it is not Chinese. It didn’t originate from China. Chinese nationals cannot obtain licences or get permits. It is the Ghanaian people who throw the Chinese people over here.”
According to him, many of the Chinese nationals arrested for illegal mining were migrant labourers, brought into Ghana by locals looking to exploit the mining sector for quick financial gain.
“Some of those who were caught red-handed are just migrant workers… I have a social media and when I post on X, people tag me with galamsey as if galamsey is caused by China. It is unfair to me. It is really unfair to me and to the majority of Chinese.’’
He quizzed further “A lot of your projects are built by Chinese companies. Your roads, your ports, etc., are built by Chinese companies. Do any normal Ghanaian people know about this?”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
