'African countries seethe over illegal and exploitive mining by Chinese’ 10 March 2025

China’s involvement in the illegal and exploitive mining practices in African countries that have caused socio-economic problems. The African countries have expressed concern over robbing them of their rightful share and promised infrastructure development by China. Three Chinese nationals were arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in relation to illegal mining activities, possession of gold bars, and money laundering earlier this year. Last year, 17 Chinese people were arrested for running an illegal gold mine in the DRC. There are more than 450 illegal mines in the DRC that are mostly run by the Chinese. Jacque Purusi, governor of DRC’s South Kivu province expressed concerns over the involvement of organised network and the plunder of the country’s precious minerals by the Chinese. “This is only one-tenth of what they have already taken from us. We will not let it go. This is the wealth of the people of South Kivu. We are determined to go all the way because enough is enough,” he said.

…China has been blamed for using the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) to tap into the vast reserves of cobalt, lithium, copper, and other minerals in African continent, which are crucial for the development of advanced technology. Now African countries are highlighting ill-effects – the exploitive and illegal mining activities, socio-economic problems and surge in the local militancy and violence. China poured in huge money in African countries, especially in Nigeria, Namibia and Ghana, with eye on the rare and precious minerals, said experts…China has been invading the African continent, said Amani Matabaro Tom, Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. He said China exploited almost every sector, especially, mining, in the name of exchange for public infrastructures.

…Th¬e case of illegal Chinese mining arises as a breach of the stipulations of the Minerals and Mining Act 2006 which clearly reserves small-scale mining to only Ghanaians,” Nathaniel Ocquaye of the London School of Economics (LSE). The distrust about China is growing among the African nations as Etienne Mutware, a lecturer at the Bukavu-based Evangelical University, said the locals were robbed of potential revenue by the Chinese illegal mining. “Partnerships are meant to bring mutual benefits like infrastructure, schools, and development. However, fraud, corruption, and illegal mining in the Congo have thwarted these expectations, resulting in a significant loss for both the population and the nation,” he said.