Tong Defa, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana has cried out that Ghanaians on social media keep tagging him as a galamseyer.
He asserted that he does not understand why when people say galamsey, they equate it to Chinese.
Tong Defa stated Ghana can never eliminate” illegal mining, known locally as galamsey.
According to Tong Defa, the government must find ways to rather manage galamseyers environmental impact.
He further blamed Ghanaians, and not Chinese nationals for the galamsey crisis.
The Chinese Ambassador asserted that Ghanaian locals are the ones facilitating the illegal activities.
Speaking to the media interaction held at his private residence in Accra, Tong Defa stated, “To my understanding, in this country, you can never eliminate those small mines. Those mines, you will have illegalities involved in them,” he said. “We need to find ways to solve this problem… The government needs to work on a policy to eliminate the pollution of waters and forests.”
“I don’t understand why when people say galamsey, they equate it to Chinese,” he stressed.
He added, “Actually, it is not Chinese. It didn’t originate from China. Chinese nationals cannot obtain licences or get permits. It is the Ghanaian people who throw the Chinese people over here.”
“Some of those who were caught red-handed are just migrant workers… I have a social media and when I post on X, people tag me with galamsey as if galamsey is caused by China. It is unfair to me. It is really unfair to me and to the majority of Chinese,” he lamented.
“A lot of your projects are built by Chinese companies. Your roads, your ports, etc., are built by Chinese companies. Do any normal Ghanaian people know about this?” he asked.
Watch the video below:
Fight Against Galamsey: Chinese Ambassador criticizes Ghanaians for increasingly blaming Chinese nationals over galamsey.#JoyNews pic.twitter.com/dOv7HEAwIp
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) June 20, 2025
