Former Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has taken a swipe at government for seeking Chinese support to fight illegal mining.
The former CEO of the Korle-Bu Cardiothoracic Centre says Ghana, after seven decades of independence, does not need China to advise her on how to protect her environment.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and China’s Ministry of Natural Resources have agreed on a three-point strategy to tackle galamsey, boost cooperation on geological surveys and promote responsible mining investment.
The agreement was reached at the 2026 China Mining Conference in Tianjin, where sector minister and Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, led Ghana’s delegation.
But Prof. Frimpong-Boateng says the move shows a lack of progress on the part of Ghana.
“We don’t need the Chinese to come and advise the Geological Survey Authority or to tell us how we have to do things, 70 years after independence,” he said on Channel One TV on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
He described the development as saddening and disturbing, insisting Ghana should have built its own technical capacity by now.
The former minister also questioned government’s commitment to the galamsey fight, saying he does not see any fight but rather an indication that the menace is something loved by the country.
“I know what a fight is; I don’t see any fight. They love galamsey,” he said.
According to him, some members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) are unhappy about the government’s failure to tackle the canker but cannot speak out publicly.
He also criticised Ghana’s continued reliance on foreign support for local industries, citing the Czech Ambassador’s recent visit to Kumasi to help revive a shoe factory, making him question the sort the nation’s leadership are made of.
“Recently I read that the ambassador of the Czech Republic went to Kumasi to revive the shoe factory. What kind of people are we? So there should be no progress in this country,” he said.
There is no fight against galamsey in Ghana today – Kofi Bentil
