China Races Into West Africa’s Mineral Rush, and the Environmental Costs Rise

Despite being its biggest trading partner, China has a poor reputation in Ghana, given the surge in illegal mining activities there—mostly illegal gold mining that locals believe is facilitated by Chinese operators and migrants. Nearly 50,000 Chinese nationals have arrived in Ghana since 2005 to take part in Ghana’s “gold rush.” Small-scale but illegal gold mining has contributed to severe environmental damage, including deforestation, destroyed cocoa farms and poisoned waterways. The damage is so serious that Ghana launched a national campaign last spring targeting illegal gold miners, known locally as “galamseyers.” Authorities in Ghana had arrested 311 illegal miners by early September, including 169 illegal Chinese miners, while deporting thousands of other Chinese nationals.
https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/23206/china-races-into-west-africa-s-mineral-rush-and-the-environmental-costs-rise