The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has backed former President John Mahama’s account that about 5,000 Chinese nationals were deported when he was head-of-state.

Responding to scepticism about Mr. Mahama’s account, Mr. Gyamfi said figures being used to discredit the former President did not paint the full picture.

“The claim by these NPP surrogates that the former President “lied” simply because immigration records show a total deportation of 2,376 persons for the period H.E John Dramani Mahama was in office only goes to expose their hollowness.”

Mr. Gyamfi used report from the Guardian newspaper in the UK to back Mr. Mahama’s figure.

He also said thousands of Chinese submitted to voluntary repatriation in 2013.

“The fact that records at the Ghana Immigration Service failed to capture voluntary repatriation of illegal miners as official deportation of these persons does not in any way mean that those illegal miners were not ejected from the shores of Ghana at the time.”

Find below the full statement

JOHN MAHAMA WAS RIGHT ABOUT 5,000 CHINESE “GALAMSEYERS” DEPORTED DURING HIS TENURE IN OFFICE.

14/09/22

Our attention has been drawn to a claim by NPP loudmouth and aid to the Vice President, one Krobea Kwabena Asante, which has been widely published in today’s edition of the Daily Guide, the Chronicle newspaper and other media platforms to the effect that former President Mahama’s statement that his administration deported about 5,000 Chinese nationals who were engaged in illegal mining in Ghana is untrue.

The claim by these NPP surrogates that the former President “lied” simply because immigration records show a total deportation of 2,376 persons for the period H.E John Dramani was in office only goes to expose their hollowness. Once again, we are compelled to set the records straight lest, the unsuspecting general public are hoodwinked by this blatant falsehood.

1. In a publication by the Guardian tabloid dated 15th July, 2013 attached herewith, the Ghana Immigration Service indicated that between June and July of that year, 2013 alone, 4,592 Chinese illegal immigrants were deported from Ghana. The Spokesperson for the Ghana Immigration Service at the time, one Michael Amoako-Atta indicated that this exercise was “only the first phase of our operations, we will be continuing in due course”. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/15/ghana-deports-chinese-goldminers

2. In the same year 2013 alone, following the arrest of several illegal foreign miners, most of whom were Chinese nationals, more than 3,800 of these illegal miners submitted to deportation on voluntary basis, otherwise known as repatriation. This fact is contained in the 15th, July, 2013 publication of the Guardian Newspaper attached herewith.

3. The fact that records at the Ghana Immigration Service failed to capture voluntary repatriation of illegal miners as official deportation of these persons does not in any way mean that those illegal miners were not ejected from the shores of Ghana at the time. Indeed, the changing semantics of deportation, repatriation or voluntary deportation does not change the fact that these illegal miners were properly ejected from the country for engaging in illegal mining, unlike we have witnessed in the charade and deceitful circumstances surrounding the so-called arrest and deportation of the famous Chinese Galamsey Queen Aisha Huang by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.

4. Indeed, so consistent and coordinated was the crack down and deportation of Chinese engaged in illegal miming by the erstwhile Mahama administration that there were fears of retaliatory action by the Chinese government in the form of tightening of the visa regime at the Chinese Embassy for Ghanaians. Some also expressed fears of reprisal action by the Chinese government on Ghanaian Nationals in China, as well as potential delays in government’s ability to draw down the $3 billion CDB loan facility. See https://www.google.com/amp/s/mg.co.za/article/2013-07-16-ghana-cracks-down-on-illegal-chinese-miners/%3famp

5. The above statistics and records amply demonstrate, that former President Mahama’s figure of 5,000 deportations was in fact a conservative estimate, as the official numbers which were available to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources at the time and corroborated by the Ghana Immigration Service, points to a figure well above 5000 combined deportations and voluntary repatriations.

We therefore urge the likes of Krobea Kwabena Asante to humble themselves and learn and stop running to town with ignorance on important issues of national discourse. The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government must rededicate itself to the protection of our lands, forests and natural resources by committing to a genuine fight against illegal mining. No amount of lies and deliberate spinning by their hirelings can salvage the embarrassment they currently face.

Signed,
Sammy Gyamfi Esq.
National Communications Officer, NDC