Tong Defa, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana has fired missiles at Ghanaians over blaming Chinese nationals for illegal mining commonly known as galamsey.
According to Tonga Defa, the Chinese nationals arrested for illegal mining were migrant labourers, brought into Ghana by locals looking to exploit the mining sector for money.
Tong Defa has shockingly stated Ghana can never eliminate” illegal mining.
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.
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.
“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 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
