Explaining the persistence of illegal Chinese mining in Ghana: the efficacious role of local patrons

The Ghana-China relationship has in recent years had severe tensions resulting from the practice of illegal gold mining by some Chinese citizens. Several solutions, including military raids on illegal Chinese miners, have still yielded no tangible result. What explains the persistence of illegal Chinese mining in Ghana? Drawing from extensive literature review and personal experiences of the author, this paper will essentially argue that the persistence of illegal Chinese mining is a result of a collaborative effort between some local patrons in Ghana and some Chinese. The persistence of illegal Chinese mining is also at the core, a partnership between ‘comrades in need’ (local patrons) and ‘comrades with power’ (illegal Chinese gold miners) to primarily satisfy economic motives. Additionally, the paper also builds on insights from a previous publication (Alden & Ocquaye, 2021) to argue that local patrons are key to the successful absorption of the Chinese into the political economy of illegal mining in Ghana.