The Minerals Commission has set-up the Mining Sector Training Fund Management Committee to oversee the use of financial resources for capacity building of Ghanaians in line with the mining sector localisation programme.
The seven-member committee shall be responsible for submitting proposals to the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission for the utilisation of funds paid into the account.
The membership of the committee, which is drawn from the Minerals Commission and the Ghana Chamber of Mines, has Mr Amponsah Tawiah, Deputy Chief Inspector of Mines, as Chairman.
Other members are Mr Emmanuel Afreh, Manager of Monitoring and Evaluation; Mr Collins Anim-Sackey, Deputy Manager of Monitoring and Evaluation – Member/Secretary; and Mr Francis Eduku, Vice President and Head of Human Resources of Gold Fields.
The rest are Ms. Jane-Frances Nyuagl, Principal Finance Officer; S. H. Ampofo-Kwabiah, Principal Inspector of Mines; and Ms. Akua Sarpong-Menu, Legal Officer.
In line with the mining sector localisation programme under the Minerals and Mining (General) Regulations, 2012, provision is made for the recruitment of expatriates, training of Ghanaians and preference for local products for which companies are required to comply with their respective localisation programme approved by the Commission.
Again, under the Regulation, any person who fails to comply with the localisation programme is required to pay to the Commission a penalty.
Pursuant to this, the Commission is required, under the Regulation, to establish an account into which the penalty should be paid for training of Ghanaians for employment in the mining sector.
Mr Toni Aubynn, the Chief Executive Officer of Minerals Commission, during the inauguration, tasked the committee to ensure that the provisions achieved the desired intent of benefiting Ghanaian workers and local producers in the mining industry.
He expressed the hope that the Committee would discharge its duties to ensure that Ghana deepened the local content drive in the minerals and mining sector.
Mr Amponsah Tawiah, on behalf of members, pledged to work diligently to ensure that Ghanaians took advantage to build their capacity to take their place in the mining industry.
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Source: GNA