Nana Akufo Addo opens up on Chinese Illegal Miners, declares war on Group found guilty

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana

Following several complaints against Chinese illegal miners destroying the environment, Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo Addo has declared war against anyone found guilty of the act.

Illegal mining has reportedly caused massive river pollution, destruction of arable lands, farms, cocoa plantations and forest reserves compromising sustainable development in Ghana.

Akufo Addo made this public while speaking at the coronation of one of the traditional rulers, Nana Effah Opinamang of Kwahu Obeng in the Easter Region on Saturday. He told the gathering that Ghana would continue to have a cordial relationship with the Chinese but however, the government would ensure full enforcement of law and order without fear or favour toward any group of people found guilty.

According to APA News, these comments came days after officials at the Chinese embassy in Ghana, wrote a letter to the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources expressing their disgust about how the media were portraying illegal Chinese miners. The president, however, said in a speech that he does not hate the Chinese, but the laws governing foreign nationals in trade and business will be applied to the letter. So far so good, Ghanaians are happy to hear him speak about the situation but observers fear the enviable diplomatic and bilateral relationship, existing for almost 60 years, could be affected.

The devastation of the Ghana’s environment by Chinese illegal miners has attracted international attention, with Australia, cocoa producing countries, NGOs and other institutions all lending support to the government to rid the country of Chinese illegal miners and their local collaborators, so as to restore sanity in the mining sector.