Rich gold mining villages and towns in the Wassa East District of the Western Region have been invaded by illegal Chinese gold miners, whose illegal gold mining activities have been severely affecting water bodies, cocoa plantation and forest reserves, Today investigations have discovered.
The Chinese illegal miners, headquartered in Wassa Akropong, the capital town of the district, according to information available to Today, have built mine shafts right in the middle of the poor farming communities in the district. These Chinese illegal miners were said to be using environmental permit mining licenses of some Ghanaian-owned small scale mining companies to operate illegal mining activities on the blind side of the state regulatory institutions.
However, Today can confirm that the Ghanaian-owned companies mining licenses were not valid as they had expired since 2012 and have since not been renewed. In an interview with Today, a cross-section of residents in Wassa Akropong stated that since 2010, they have seen Chinese trooping into the district with the aim of mining the virgin forests and cocoa plantations in search of gold.
According to them, National Security personnel always come “here for mining operations and arrest these Chinese, but you see them [Chinese] in the next three (3) days working on the same land.” They minced no words when they accused the chiefs and their elders of being the brain behind the invasion of the Chinese nationals in the district, asking that “what benefits do the farmers and Nananom get from these Chinese?” The residents lamented that the effects of galamsey has seen “many of our school going children drop out of schools.” Additionally, they pointed out “all their natural resources were gone and won’t come back to them.”
They stated that Ghana was in a state of tragic moment, noting that the people in the district shall one day cry for food while other people from their countries will use their resources to develop their cities. Usually, according to them, the mining pits are left uncovered and serve as death traps for persons who want to commit suicide. They wondered why the political party executives usually lead these foreigners to destroy “our resources and make a term as my government is in power (Maban Na 3w) So)…so nobody can’t do me anything.”
They maintained that the poor suffers most due to water shortages as all their source of water bodies have been destroyed. “We crying for the future generation,” the lamented, stating that the Chinese nationals who are operating mining activities in the district have flouted orders by the Minerals Commission to remove their mine shafts from their operating communities. According to them, the Chinese galamseyers use illegal means to acquire 747.41 acres of land belonging to various communities. “As we speak today, the Chinese continue to occupy and operate on unauthorised lands,” they noted.
“Some of us have been imprisoned several times for leading community protests, they told Today and called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to impress upon his sector minister to arrest and deport these Chinese nationals who have been engaging in illegal mining activities in their communities.”
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