"Crackdown on galamsey not informed by xenophobia - Akufo-Addo", 14 May 2017

Ghana's determination to crack the whip on illegal mining (galamsey) is not informed by xenophobia, said president Nana Akufo-Addo, as China takes a strong view of the clampdown on its nationals engaged in mining in the country...The Chinese mission in Accra has condemned what they call a systematic attack on it nationals doing mining in Ghana, saying they are victims of fraud. Multiple Chinese have been arrested and arraigned before court for defying a ban on mining as well as entering Ghana with fake visas and immigration papers. A powerful Chinese woman behind the illicit mining in the country, Asia Huang, is currently in police cells for mining close to a river in the Ashanti Region...And according to the Water Resources Commission, about 60 per cent of Ghana’s water bodies are polluted, with many in critical condition. The polluted water bodies were mostly in the south-western parts of the country, where illegal mining activities (galamsey) were widespread...