Ghana’s Interior Minister, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, is standing by a new government policy to deport foreign nationals caught engaging in illegal mining and fraud.

The policy has drawn criticism from environmental groups, who argue that deportation is a weak and unlawful response to a serious environmental threat.

But the minister insists that prosecution delays are being exploited, allowing offenders to return and resume illegal mining in Ghana’s forests.

He says swift deportation will disrupt this cycle and act as a more effective deterrent.