The Minerals Commission has called on China to support Ghana in tracing and dismantling the financing and logistics networks behind illegal small-scale mining, warning that some of the equipment, capital and supply chains sustaining the practice originate outside the country.
Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Isaac Tandoh, said tackling galamsey required cooperation beyond arrests and field operations, particularly in identifying the financial and logistical networks that enable illegal mining activities.
Addressing the China-Ghana Mining Cooperation Conference in Accra on Tuesday( November 10), he called on Chinese authorities to deploy their technological capabilities to help identify and disrupt those networks.
He said illegal mining was organised, financed and equipped, making international cooperation necessary to address its underlying support systems.
“China’s cooperation with your advanced technology in tracing and disrupting these networks is indispensable,” he said.
Mr Tandoh also urged China to deepen collaboration with Ghana’s security and regulatory agencies to address the involvement of foreign nationals in illegal mining.
He said Ghana remained committed to working with responsible Chinese investors but would not tolerate activities that undermine the country’s mining laws and environmental protection efforts.
The Minerals Commission has maintained that its enforcement efforts would target illegal mining activities while promoting responsible investment and compliance within the sector.
