ABSTRACT

This study was an assessment of Government of Ghana’s anti-galamsey activities on Ghana- China diplomatic relations. The focus of the study was to determine whether anti-galamsey activities of the government have had any strain on the diplomatic relations between the two countries. The study relied on both primary and secondary sources of data for analysis. Widespread damage to Ghana’s environment, water bodies, farmlands and wildlife due to “galamsey”, a local referent for illegal mining, had become a grave concern. While those involved in “galamsey” includes both Ghanaians and foreigners, the introduction of sophisticated equipment and use of dangerous chemicals by Chinese migrants in the extraction of Gold through illegal means had resulted into a “galamsey” narrative directed heavily at the Chinese. With widespread media reportage on the issue mostly highlighting damages to the environment, water bodies, conflicts and deaths, the government was forced to act, hence the decision to combat “galamsey” of which the majority of foreigners involved are Chinese migrants. While this decision was welcomed by many, other experts feared the consequences of this decision on Ghana-China diplomatic relations due to the latter’s economic contribution to the development of Ghana. Findings from the study revealed that Ghana-China diplomatic relations have not been significantly impacted by Government of Ghana’s ‘anti-galamsey’ activities and that these activities have no current or future negative implications on the diplomatic exchanges between Ghana and China and that the current state of Sino-Ghana relations remains friendly.

CHAPTER ONE RESEARCH DESIGN

                            Background to the Problem Statement

Few years after Ghana’s independence in 1960 marked the beginning of official diplomatic relations between Ghana and China. Subsequently, the two countries signed the Peace Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the climax being the newly appointed Ghana’s ambassador to Beijing moving in to Beijing in 1961 the same year the peace treaty was concluded.¹ Since this event, relations between Ghana and China have been consolidated by strong personal relationships between the political elites of the two countries, particularly during the era of Ghana’s first President, “Dr. Nkrumah and Premier Zhou Enlai, and by high-level official visits, including visits by Ghana’s President John Kufuor to China in 2002 and China’s President Hu to Ghana in 2003.”²

Ghana has provided substantial diplomatic support to China such as joining the lobby for China’s reinstatement into the United Nations and supporting China in the Sino-Indian war of 1962.³ China, on the other hand, has reciprocated with material and financial support for Ghana’s development. Consequently, within the last two decades, China has had an overwhelming influence in Ghana, affecting virtually every sector of the national economy. These include trade and investment, participation in the sale and marketing of consumer goods, exploitation of natural resources, infrastructure and agriculture. In agriculture for instance, exchanges have been facilitated in agro-processing, agricultural technology, agricultural infrastructural technology and irrigation.⁴ According to the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC), Chinese investment

activities in Ghana stretches across a wide variety of sectors such as construction, tourism, manufacturing service, and resource –based sectors.⁵

During the period, China has also increased development assistance to the Ghanaian economy with significant projects, including the Nsawam stretch of the Accra-Kumasi Road, the office block of the Ministry of Defence, the Complex of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Atuabo Gas project and the Bui hydroelectric dam, one of the biggest Chinese-funded projects in Ghana, and a host of others.⁶ In 2007, China agreed to write off $25 million of Ghana’s debt, accumulated since 1985.⁷ Additionally, Ghana also benefited from about $170 million supplier’s credit from the Chinese government to enable the Electricity Company of Ghana extend electrification to about three hundred thousand households in 2009.⁸ Ghana’s resilient democracy has ensured that Chinese development assistance to the country generally benefits the general population.

Ghana-China cooperation on trade and investment have also increased strongly in the past with no signs of plummeting. “From September, 1994 to June 2013, the Foreign Direct Investment, (FDI) influx into Ghana from China reached $543.5 million, making it the tenth biggest FDI provider for Ghana, with the top five being the UK, South Korea, USA, UAE and Lebanon.” ⁹ “Of the $543.5 million FDI from China, $254 million went into the manufacturing sector, covering a variety of industries such as iron and steel, food processing, textiles, salt production and fishing while the trade, construction and service sectors attracted $120 million, $96 million, and $48 million respectively.”¹⁰ “In terms of the number of projects, China with 645 registered projects, topped the list of investor countries in Ghana.”¹¹ Also trade between Ghana and China

rose to a historic high of $6.6 billion in 2015, representing an 18.2 percent year-on-year increase, ranking Ghana as sixth among China’s Africa trading partners.¹² Chinese foreign direct investment in Ghana (FDI) have also provided a host of benefits, such as improving the competitiveness of local industries and contributing to government revenue via taxation as well as creating employment.¹³