The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Isaac Tandoh, has called on the Chinese government to intensify its crackdown on Chinese nationals involved in illegal mining in Ghana, insisting that deportation must not become an escape route for offenders seeking to evade accountability.
He wants Chinese authorities to impose additional sanctions on their citizens who violate Ghana’s mining laws and help dismantle the international financing and logistics networks sustaining illegal mining operations across the country.
Speaking at the China–Ghana Mining Cooperation Conference at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra, Mr Tandoh warned that the involvement of some Chinese nationals in illegal mining threatened Ghana’s environment, national security and the credibility of the longstanding relationship between the two countries.
He described the destruction of rivers, forest reserves and farmlands through illegal mining as an existential threat requiring decisive action from both governments.
“Illegal small-scale mining has become an existential threat to our environment, our water bodies, and our national security. And in too many instances, Chinese nationals have been found at the centre of these illegal operations,” he stated.
Mr Tandoh stressed that Ghana’s mining laws expressly prohibit foreign nationals from engaging in small-scale mining, with offenders facing prison sentences ranging from 20 to 25 years, followed by deportation.
He explained that the law also prohibits fronting, a practice in which foreign nationals use Ghanaian individuals or entities to acquire mineral rights reserved exclusively for Ghanaians.
According to him, several Chinese nationals have already been arrested during enforcement operations along major rivers, including the Birim and Tano.
The Minerals Commission CEO welcomed an emerging bilateral enforcement framework agreed at the 2026 China Mining Conference, under which Chinese nationals who violate Ghanaian mining laws would face sanctions in Ghana and through enforcement mechanisms in China.
He, however, demanded its immediate implementation. “This dual-enforcement pathway must be operationalised without delay, so that deportation is not a soft landing but a prelude to accountability,” he declared.
Mr Tandoh also urged Chinese authorities to assist Ghana in identifying and disrupting the financial and logistical networks supporting illegal mining, arguing that the activities were sustained by organised structures extending beyond Ghana’s borders.
“Galamsey is organised, financed, and equipped. The equipment, capital, and supply chains sometimes originate outside Ghana,” he observed.
He further challenged the Association of China–Ghana Mining to actively expose illegal operators rather than limit its activities to promoting commercial interests.
“We expect the Association to actively discourage and report illegal conduct by its members and by Chinese nationals operating in Ghana,” he said.
Despite his concerns, Mr Tandoh acknowledged China’s significant contribution to Ghana’s mining industry, citing investments by major companies, including Zijin, Chifeng and Shandong Gold.
He disclosed that Zijin had increased production at the Akyem mine by 20% following its acquisition, without expanding its workforce or upgrading existing infrastructure.
He also indicated that Shandong Gold’s Ghanaian operation was the company’s best-performing mine globally.
Mr Tandoh announced that Ghana was making provision in law for a medium-scale mining category that would allow foreign investors to hold up to 40% ownership in mining companies established in partnership with Ghanaians.
The proposed arrangement, he explained, would create a lawful investment avenue for foreigners unable to meet the financial requirements of large-scale mining while preserving small-scale mining for Ghanaian citizens.
He maintained that Ghana remained open to responsible Chinese investment that created jobs, protected the environment and supported local participation in the mining industry.
However, he cautioned that the conduct of illegal operators must not be allowed to undermine six decades of diplomatic and economic cooperation between the two countries.
“Illegal mining has no place in this partnership, and those who engage in it, whatever their nationality, must face the full weight of the law,” Mr Tandoh declared.
He said Ghanaian communities deserved a mining partnership that delivered economic opportunities and sustainable livelihoods rather than environmental destruction and criminal activity.
