Category: Mining
Ghana’s Defense Minister Is Sending the Military Back to the Countryside to Crack Down on Illegal Gold Mining
Facing a surge of public pressure that the government isn't doing enough to stop small-scale illegal gold mining (a practice known as galamsey,) Ghana's Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul announced that a joint Army, Navy and Air Force task force will be redeployed back into the ...
The Head of a Major Chinese Mining Company Flew to Sierra Leone Just Days After Parliament Cleared the Way for Expanded Iron Ore Shipments
Colin Ding,President of Kingho Energy Group, landed in Freetown this week, just days after Sierra Leone's parliament voted to ratify a port and rail lease agreement that will facilitate the export of iron ore from the West African nation.
China’s Ambassador to the DRC Hints the Country May Once Again Be at the Center of a Great Power Struggle
Chinese ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zhu Jing, posted a somewhat cryptic tweet earlier this week that suggested the DRC may once again be at the center of a great power struggle, this one, he implied between the United States and China.
Ghanaian MP Sparks Furore by Accusing Members of His Own Ruling Party of Protecting Chinese Illegal Miners
Outspoken Ghanaian Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, issued a stunning warning this weekend when he appeared on national television to accuse members of his own ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of supporting illegal mining operators known as galamsey, including some who are Chinese.
“I Have Had Enough!” DRC President Étienne Tshisekedi Hints He’s Ready to Take on Chinese Investors Over Unfair Contracts
DR Congo President Étienne Tshisekedi ventured to the heart of the country's cobalt mining territory to personally deliver a warning to foreign investors (read Chinese) that unfair mining contracts are going to be re-negotiated. On Thursday, the president traveled to the city of Kowlezi in the southern ...
Glencore’s CEO Warns Western Automakers About China’s Control of Congolese Cobalt
The CEO of the world's largest cobalt mining company issued a stern warning to U.S. and European automakers that they had better get their acts together to secure supplies of this precious metal or else risk becoming dependent on China for batteries to power their electric vehicles. ...
Veteran China Journalist Warns That China is Looking to Eventually Replace Australian Iron Ore With Suppliers in Brazil and Africa
There's been widespread speculation over the past year that China wants to develop new iron ore supply chains in Africa so it can stop buying from Australia in response to steadily worsening ties between the two countries. While there've been indications ...
Booming Chinese Demand for African Metals and Minerals Pushes Prices to Record Highs
These are good days for Africa's metals and mineral exporters, who are seeing record prices thanks to strong demand, in part, from China and international automakers that produce new energy vehicles. The timing for this latest "commodity supercycle," ...
While Ghana’s Governing Elites Call For Deeper Economic Engagement With China, Civil Society Groups Fume
The yawning gap between China's successful courtship of ruling elites in Africa and Beijing's difficulties in soothing concerns about debt, environmental sustainability, trade, immigration, and other contentious issues among civil society stakeholders has been on full display in Ghana over the past several weeks. ...
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested in Ghanaian Army Crackdown on Illegal Mining
Ghanaian army troops fanned out across the country on Wednesday in a nationwide crackdown on illegal mining in river areas, arresting dozens, including at least two Chinese nationals. The pair have been taken to Accra where they will ...