Ghana, the legendary Gold Coast, continues to reel from an environmental disaster that runs far deeper than the visible land destruction and contaminated waterways. Illegal small-scale mining, known locally as galamsey, is tearing the heart out of Ghanaian communities. Beyond the physical damage, it has spawned a human cycle of devastation too often buried beneath political and diplomatic rhetoric. Addressing the deportation of Chinese nationals arrested for galamsey, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Tong Defa, condemned the widespread illegal mining in the West African nation. He emphasised Beijing’s zero-tolerance policy and highlighted measures China has instituted to deter its nationals from engaging in such acts.
