The Chinese government has called for a meeting with Ghana government to discuss ways of flushing out Chinese nationals who are engaging in the illegal mining business in the country.
The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini says the meeting which is to come off Monday will discuss how the two governments could collaborate and find a lasting solution to the problem.
This comes less than a week after President John Mahama set up a task force tasked to flush out persons in the illegal mining business in the country.
Chinese nationals in Ghana have been criticised recently for being involved in galamsey and polluting the country’s water sources.
Speaking on Joy FM’s news analysis programme Newsfile on Saturday, the minister announced that the Chinese government is ever prepared to help in stopping its nationals from migrating into Ghana.
Mr Fuseini noted that according to the Chinese government, most of the Chinese engaged in galamsey in Ghana are from a particular region in their country.
“...They [China government] can collaborate with us to stop their people from coming into this country”.
Asked whether it was necessary to hold such a meeting instead of simply repatriating those found to have broken the nation’s laws, the minister responded: “...You don’t want them to come here in the first place, let alone spend money to remove them.”
“So you want to close the roots...we want to inform the Chinese [government] about what is required to visit Ghana, and how they can help us to regulate [the movement] of those who come to visit Ghana from their country,” he explained.
