The Convener of the Media Coalition against Illegal Mining, Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, has urged Ghanaians to invest heavily in industrialization especially in the mining sector to promote national development.

According to him, Ghana cannot continue to rely solely on royalties and taxes from the mining sector, as that will keep the country in a subservient position.

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His concern comes in light of a report from the Business and Financial Times, which reveals that Chinese investors are interested in acquiring stakes in several major mining operations, including the Akyem Mines. Although there has been no official communication regarding this interest, it has sparked debate about the future of Ghana's strategic resources.

Speaking on JoyNews AM Show, Mr Ashigbey said, “We need to invest into [industrialization] so that we can get stakes out of it, we would own how this grows. But the challenge with the Chinese is their involvement in illegal mining. If you look at the data right from when we had Operation Vanguard going on, there are a lot of Chinese who are involved in it.”

He stated that to make matters worse, when arrests are made, the Chinese suspects are rarely prosecuted.

The two major political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have pledged in their manifestos to address the issue of illegal mining.

Over the years, illegal mining has been a significant cause of environmental degradation, polluting Ghana's water, farmlands and forest reserves.

Mr Ashigbey noted a case where the prosecutor claimed that some Chinese nationals had been cremated after being prosecuted.

However, when the judge requested the ashes, the prosecutor admitted that he had been deceived by the surety, and the individuals who were supposed to be cremated were actually walking free. He also mentioned that a police officer involved in the case was prosecuted.

Mr Ashigbey noted that when Chinese nationals are arrested, the need for interpreters is often used as an excuse, leading to cases being left unresolved.

“We need to deal with these various aspects of the issue when it comes to crime involvement. When you look at the manifestos of both parties, they seem to want to put Ghanaians at the centre stage and ensure that we can regularize small-scale mining and make it more sustainable.”

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