Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has raised serious concerns over what he describes as a troubling disparity in how Ghana handles foreign nationals involved in illegal mining and other criminal activities.
In a post shared on his social media pages on April 9, 2025, Manasseh recalled that in 2021, his team obtained official data from the Ghana Prisons Service, which showed that only one Chinese national was serving a prison term in Ghana. Notably, the offence of this lone Chinese inmate was not disclosed.
This revelation, according to Manasseh, was particularly startling, given the frequent arrests of Chinese nationals over the years for engaging in illegal mining — an activity that has devastated forests, polluted water bodies, and threatened the nation’s security.
At the same time, he observed, hundreds of Ghanaians, Nigerians, Burkinabes, and other Africans have been tried and jailed for similar offences. He cited a specific case where Nigerian nationals convicted of illegal mining were each sentenced to 20 years in prison, with an order for deportation after serving their terms.
The issue, Manasseh argued, reflects an unjust system. “If you jail a Nigerian for 20 years for illegal mining and ask his Chinese counterpart to go home in peace, what should we call that?” he questioned, adding, “If this happened elsewhere, we would call it racism, but this is happening in Ghana.”
His comments come on the back of a recent statement by the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, who confirmed that Ghana has adopted a policy of repatriating foreigners involved in illegal mining and fraudulent activities instead of prosecuting them. The Minister explained that this approach is intended to save time and resources while protecting the country’s environment and citizens.
However, critics like Manasseh argue that the policy raises troubling questions about justice and equity, especially in a country where illegal mining is classified as a threat to national security.
“Mr. President, is this how you swore to defend this country?” Manasseh challenged in his post.
