Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a leading social activist and convener of the Democracy Hub pressure group, has called out the Ghanaian government’s handling of foreign nationals involved in illegal mining, commonly referred to as “galamsey.”
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show, Barker-Vormawor voiced his concerns over the government’s practice of deporting foreigners involved in illegal mining activities without subjecting them to due legal process.
Barker-Vormawor made it clear that, according to Ghanaian law, foreigners involved in criminal activities like illegal mining must face prosecution in Ghana.
“Our laws are pretty clear that foreigners involved in crimes such as illegal mining must be prosecuted here in Ghana. Deportation should only follow a criminal conviction—not be used as a shortcut to avoid accountability,” he stated.
He also questioned the legal capacity of countries like China, from where many illegal miners come, to prosecute crimes committed on Ghanaian soil.
“There’s no indication that China has the legal capacity to prosecute crimes committed on Ghanaian soil. There’s also been no institutional or diplomatic guarantee that evidence or witnesses would be available to facilitate any such trials in China,” he pointed out.
According to Barker-Vormawor, simply deporting individuals involved in illegal mining does not address the root cause of the problem.
“The problem of law enforcement in these areas is deep. Simply deporting people doesn’t solve it—it actually encourages repeat offenders and further criminal activity,” he remarked.
Barker-Vormawor and his group are now considering taking legal action against the government.
