The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Isaac Tandoh, has delivered a blunt warning to Chinese nationals involved in illegal small-scale mining in Ghana.
Speaking at the *China-Ghana Mining Cooperation Conference* at the Kempinski Hotel, Accra, on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, he said the integrity of the Ghana-China partnership is being tested not in boardrooms, but in rivers, forest reserves and farmlands.
Ghana-China Friendship
“Ghana and China have forged a beautiful and cordial relationship that dates back some six decades ago. It started with our first President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Chairman Mao Zedong, two thought leaders of their time, who stood shoulder to shoulder to fight for the oppressed.”
Mr Tandoh said at the Minerals Commission, every partnership is viewed through a lens of transparency, sustainability, and equitable benefits for all Ghanaians.
Chinese Investment In Large-Scale Mining
He praised significant Chinese investment that has contributed to Ghana’s position as Africa’s largest gold producer and the world’s sixth-largest.
Major Chinese mining giants such as Zijin, Chifeng, and Shandong have found a home in Ghana.
– Zijin assumed ownership of the Akyem mine a year ago and, without expanding its workforce and without upgraded infrastructure, increased production by 20%.
– Shandong Gold’s Ghanaian operation is the best-performing mine in the Shandong group globally.
– The Association of China–Ghana Mining has given the cooperation an institutional home for dialogue on responsible investment, regulatory compliance and sustainable development.
The Law Is Clear
“Let me be unequivocal about the law. Under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), as amended, small-scale mining licences are reserved exclusively for Ghanaian citizens.”
That means any foreigner who undertakes small-scale mining commits an offence. The penalties include a prison term of twenty to twenty-five years, with deportation to follow the sentence.
The law also targets “fronting,” where foreign entities use Ghanaian entities to acquire mineral rights.
Mr Tandoh disclosed that several Chinese nationals have been arrested during swoops on major rivers, including the *Birim and the Tano.
“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.”
A Legal Alternative
Ghana has designated blocked-out areas to be allocated to law-abiding Ghanaian small-scale miners, so that the alternative to illegal mining is legal, structured and sustainable mining.
To support Chinese and other foreign nationals who wish to engage in legal mining but do not have the financial capacity for large-scale operations, Ghana is making provision in law for a *medium-scale tier* that allows them to *co-own up to a 40% stake* in mining companies in partnership with their Ghanaian counterparts.
Three Calls To China
Mr Tandoh said Ghana values China’s friendship too deeply to allow it to be undermined by a lawless minority, and called on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to deepen collaboration with Ghana’s security and regulatory agencies:
1. Treat illegal mining as a bilateral enforcement priority
He welcomed the emerging framework agreed at the 2026 China Mining Conference, under which Chinese nationals who breach Ghanaian mining laws will face sanctions not only in Ghana but also through Chinese authorities’ own mechanisms for policing their citizens abroad.
“This dual-enforcement pathway must be operationalised without delay, so that deportation is not a soft landing but a prelude to accountability.”
2. Dismantle financing and logistics networks
“Galamsey is organised, financed, and equipped. The equipment, capital, and supply chains sometimes originate outside Ghana. China’s cooperation with your advanced technology in tracing and disrupting these networks is indispensable.”
3. Use the Association for compliance, not just commerce
He said the Association of China–Ghana Mining must actively discourage and report illegal conduct by its members and by Chinese nationals operating in Ghana.
“A responsible association does not protect the lawlessness, it exposes them.”
Enforcement Without Fear Or Favour
“At the Minerals Commission, we will continue to enforce the law without fear or favour, while working with investors who share our vision of a transparent and sustainable mining industry.”
He said enforcement alone cannot build a mining community. Ghana needs Chinese investment that creates decent jobs, respects the environment, supports local content objectives, and stands shoulder to shoulder in the fight against criminality.
“The friendship between Ghana and China has survived for over six decades because it has been built on mutual respect. That respect requires honesty! And honesty requires us to say, in one voice: ‘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’.”
“Today, our communities want to see a China–Ghana partnership that brings prosperity, not pollution; that builds legal livelihoods, not criminal networks.”
In attendance were the Chief of Staff, Hon. Dr. Julius Debrah, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Cong Song, Ministers of State, President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines Fred Attakuma, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines Dr. Ken Ashigbey, captains of industry and traditional leaders.
