Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Kojo Bonsu, says the Chinese government is concerned about illegal mining in Ghana and the involvement of some Chinese nationals in the activity.
Bonsu said the government of President Xi Jinping had taken the issue seriously and was working with Ghana to help tackle the problem.
Speaking to Channel One News in Tianjin, China, he said the Ghana Embassy in China was collaborating with Chinese authorities to discourage illegal mining while encouraging reputable Chinese companies to invest in Ghana’s mining sector.
According to him, Chinese authorities at the provincial level had been tasked with engaging Ghana on measures to address illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
“The Chinese government is very angry about all those galamsey issues. These are people who come to Ghana through the back door and don’t go through the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to acquire proper licences, but through dubious means,” he said.
Bonsu said the issue was also discussed between President John Mahama and President Xi Jinping, resulting in a commitment by the Chinese side to support Ghana’s efforts to combat illegal mining.
He said Chinese authorities had directed officials in Guangxi province to engage with Ghana to help address the problem.
The ambassador said the focus was to promote responsible mining and ensure that Chinese companies operating in Ghana complied with the country’s mining and environmental regulations.
Ghana seeks responsible Chinese investors
Beyond efforts to curb illegal mining, Bonsu said the Ghana Embassy in China was actively seeking reputable Chinese mining companies to invest in Ghana.
He cited Zijin Mining and Cardinal Namdini as examples of companies operating within what he described as the framework of responsible mining.
“I can assure you that all those Chinese companies coming to Ghana through us are responsible. They are going to do what we call responsible mining that will not affect the environment,” he said.
Bonsu said Ghana was seeking more than just capital from Chinese mining investors, with emphasis also placed on technology, skills development and technology transfer.
“Our number one goal is to bring genuine investors who will bring good money, be socially responsible to the people and bring technology for us to have a new system to learn,” he said.
He stressed that the Embassy would not support investors seeking to enter Ghana through questionable means or engage in illegal mining.
“We don’t want to just bring any kind of mining investors, but genuine investment with good technology and ensure technology transfer locally. We don’t want to bring any mushroom investor that will bring technologies through the back door just to galamsey,” he said.
Bonsu said he was confident in the Chinese government’s commitment to addressing the involvement of its nationals in illegal mining and pledged to continue working with Chinese authorities until the problem was brought to an end.
Source: Citinewsroom
