The Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has waded into the ongoing national debate over illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, throwing his support behind recent controversial comments made by the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Tong Defa.

Ambassador Tong, during a media engagement in Accra on Thursday, June 19, claimed that many Chinese nationals involved in illegal mining operations were brought into Ghana by local facilitators.

He argued that while Chinese citizens are often blamed for galamsey, it is Ghanaians who aid, guide, and profit from their activities.

The Ambassador’s comments sparked strong reactions, with Dr. Ken Ashigbey, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, publicly rejecting the claim.

In a radio interview, Dr. Ashigbey stressed that Chinese nationals must take responsibility for their roles in environmental crimes.

“The Chinese Ambassador cannot run away from the fact that there are Chinese individuals who are part of this illegality… they wouldn’t dare to do these things in China,” Dr. Ashigbey said.

He further noted that the majority of foreigners arrested during anti-galamsey operations have been Chinese nationals.

However, Mr. Abraham Koomson sided with the Chinese Ambassador, saying his claims reflect a troubling truth about local complicity in the galamsey crisis.

“The CEO of the Chamber of Mines disagreed with the Ambassador, but I believe the Ambassador was right.

Some Ghanaians are indeed aiding these Chinese nationals to mine illegally,” Koomson said.

He went on to question the role of Ghana’s foreign missions in granting entry to such individuals.

According to him, the ease with which Chinese nationals gain access to Ghana’s mining areas raises red flags about possible institutional negligence.

“How do convicted criminals or shady individuals get visas from our embassy in China?

Was any due diligence conducted?

And without Ghanaian collaborators, how would these foreigners know where our minerals are buried in the forests?” he asked.

Mr Koomson’s remarks tap into longstanding concerns about the role of Ghanaian actors—both public and private—in facilitating illegal mining.

While acknowledging the involvement of foreign nationals, he emphasised that Ghana cannot continue to shift blame externally.

“The time for finger-pointing is over. Both Ghanaians and foreigners involved in galamsey must be held accountable,” he stated.

He stressed that enforcement of Ghana’s mining laws must be swift, consistent, and non-discriminatory, warning that the country’s future is at stake.

“What needs to be done now is for the government to immediately and impartially enforce the illegal mining laws.

No more delays, no more excuses,” he added.

Illegal mining continues to wreak havoc on Ghana’s environment.

Over 60 percent of the country’s water bodies are reportedly polluted, farmland is being destroyed, and forest reserves are vanishing.

The most high-profile case remains that of En Huang, alias Aisha Huang, a Chinese national sentenced in 2023 to four-and-a-half years in prison for her involvement in a large-scale illegal mining operation.

Koomson made this remark, speaking in an interview on Tema-based Ahotor FM on Saturday, June 21.