This follows the Chamber’s caution to stakeholders including small-scale miners against stampeding government into lifting the ban on small-scale mining.

[contextly_sidebar id=”zdQwM3G5xTYtjEMVqgpeENfzQVZ2qQV9″]According to Godwin Armah, the General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners, the government has not been engaging enough in lifting the ban on small-scale mining.

“We are seeing clearly from the statement he made, that the chamber is against indigenous mining, because for close to a year, if you are saying still we should not put pressure on government for government to put all the process in place before we start mining, does it mean that all those who are operating on the large scale under the chamber are doing the right thing,” he quizzed.

The General Secretary is anxious about why the Chamber does not want to put in measures that will allow them to start work, whiles the government continues with the process of sanitizing the mining sector.

The Association said this situation is unfortunate, considering the role of small-scale miners within the sector.

The small-scale miners want government to review its stance on the ban on small-scale mining.

“Once we put the system in place and structure in place, let us start working, let the small-scale miners start their operation, and then we make sure the right things are done, and we enforce the law so that the small-scale miners will mine in a sustainable manner,” he said.

The government announced an extension of the ban on all forms of small-scale mining in the country by three months in 2017, bringing the new deadline to January 2018.

The government earlier in 2017 imposed a six-month ban on small-scale mining as part of efforts to end illegal mining and its related activities, which adversely affected the environment, particularly water bodies and forest reserves.

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By: Farida Yusif/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The support is also towards an initiative on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) training programme.

Mr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, the President of the Chamber, presenting the cheque affirmed the commitment to the STEM training programme due to its potential of making Ghana a reference point for scientific and technological advancement on the continent.

The donation was made following a request made by the Minister of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation during a courtesy call on him by management of the Chamber.

He said the Chamber was aware that the contribution of mining to Ghana’s economic progress transcended the direct fiscal contributions, adding that “it has always been our fervent belief that effective integration of the non-mineral sector must begin with proper training of our young ones to take advantage of the opportunities in the value chain of the training industry”.

He said the approach to equip young minds with the necessary STEM skills to make them competitive in the global space would in the long run inure to the benefit of the State.

“Globally, this is the way progressive nations are adopting to achieve accelerated economic transformation riding on the back of the minerals and mining industry,” he added.

Mr Addo-Kufuor said the Chamber has at various times taken voluntarily initiatives to promote in-country expenditure on mining inputs such as fabrication of critical components of plant, machinery and equipment and engineering services.

He said currently, the Chamber was collaborating with the Faculty of the University of Mines and Technology to develop key inputs in commercial quantities for the industry.

The President said the realisation of the country’s local content goals could be possible if only the right investors were paired with local professionals with the right skills and expertise to produce the inputs.

Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Minister, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, commended the Executive Management for the gesture and for their efforts to contribute to the training of young scientists.

He said as a Ministry, they believe that with technology, the country could achieve much in term of development.

He said the Ministry has set up an incubator at the premises of the CSIR to train some more people in Science and Technology.

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Source: GNA

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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sulemanu Koney flanked by other officials of the Chamber, schooled the participants on how the nation’s mining industry operates.

He explained the rationale of the engagement stating that it “is meant to create awareness on the happenings in the mining industry and make known to the general public, including journalists and students, certain new developments that are taking place within the sector.”

Sulemanu Koney implored local entrepreneurs to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that abound in the mining sector.

“Until and unless many Ghanaian businessmen bid for contracts to provide services required by the various mining companies in the country, the latter would continue to import most of its consumables that could be produced locally from outside the country.”

“Mining companies spent huge sums of money to import vehicle and machine spare parts, heavy-duty electrical cables, general lubricants, bolts and nuts and other materials, simply because such things were either not available locally or were available but could not meet the required standard of the mining companies.”

He disclosed the Chamber’s intention to launch a business opportunities’ portal that would indicate all the resources needed by mining companies operating in the country.

He revealed that the mining sector contributed significantly to the local economy in the 2016 fiscal year.

 “The sector, in 2016, contributed about 1.6 billion cedis to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), representing 15.8 percent of the GRA’s total direct taxes for the year.”

“Gold Fields and Newmont Ghana, both members of the Chamber, were also adjudged the largest and second largest taxpayers in Ghana in 2016 by the GRA.”

According to Mr. Koney, for the first time since 2011, the provisional balance of payments in 2016 recorded a surplus.

This, he said, reflected an improvement in the trade balance driven by a rise in gold export receipts and a fall in oil import prices.

He said that producing members of the Chamber returned US$2.3 billion, representing 71 percent of their mineral revenue through the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the commercial Banks in 2016.

Sulemanu Koney asked the government to ensure efficiency in the management of the mineral revenue.

“Government needs to enact a law for the management of mineral revenue to promote sustainability and efficiency in the expenditure of revenues attributable to mining.”

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The donation formed part of activities lined up for the Ghana Chamber of Mines CEO, Sulemanu Koney’s two-day official visit to the Northern Region.

The Chamber’s External Relations Director, Ahmed Nantogmah, said the same amount was given in 2016.

Nantogmah  Ahmed said the donation was meant for the upkeep of needy but brilliant students benefiting from the Dakpema  Education Fund.

Earlier at a meeting with the Northern Regional Minister, Sulemanu Koney said the team sought to interact with major stakeholders including students of the University for Development Studies (UDS).

“We believe that we have a responsibility to go round the country and brief the citizens on especially responsible and sustainable mining, because the mineral resources belong to each and everyone one of us, so generally the people of Ghana should understand the mining industry and that’s why we decided that we should move out of the mining areas and come to the north.”

Sulemanu Koney hinted that, exploration will soon begin at the Sheini Iron ore deposit at the Tatale-Sanguli district.

The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed, commended the Ghana Chamber of Mines CEO and his team for the visit.

He said his office was ever ready to partner with the Chamber to explore the natural resources that abound in the area.

He mentioned Bole-Bamboi, Sheini and other potential mining areas where he decried the widespread illegal mining activities.

Salifu Saeed asked the Chamber of Mines CEO to partner with the Regional Coordinating Council to reposition the region to attract investors.

He further implored the Ghana Chamber of Mines to contact heads of the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to provide a blueprint for the mineral deposits in their areas.

“The youth of this region are very determined to work, but there are no jobs, and so I urge the Chamber to create job opportunities for the idle youth. If the Chamber of Mines has the intention to set up an institution to train the youth, it will reduce the influx of rural-urban migration.”

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Chamber noted “weak regulatory oversight and parochial political considerations” as contributors to the proliferation and escalation of illegal mining, which has been acknowledged as one of the major threat to Ghana’s environment.

[contextly_sidebar id=”AV0SlXBOacL1eKcooF7ZAQrmelWWtH5r”]These points were made in a speech read on behalf of Ahmed D. Nantogmah, the Chamber’s External Relations and Communications Director, at an event organised by the Centre for School and Community Science and Technology Studies of the University of Education, to mark the 2017 World Environment Day.

The first half of 2017 has seen concerted efforts to end the environment-ravaging menace of illegal mining which has left most Ghana’s natural water bodies heavily polluted, as well as the negative ripple effects on crop production and other agricultural activities.

There is currently a six-month ban on small-scale mining as part of efforts to end illegal mining and its degrading effects on the environment.

Delivering the speech, Derick Romeo Adogla, ‎an External Relations and Communications Officer at the Chamber, indicated the need for responsible conservation to overcome some of the major environmental problems brought on by illegal mining and other environmentally degrading human activities.

“There is no doubt that responsible conservation is a crucial way to solve environmental problems. It is important to recognize however, that creating wealth and protecting the environment must coexist. The environment cannot be protected by conservation alone.”

Mr. Adogla reminded of the calling cards of illegal miners, some of which have over the years upgraded to the use of  heavy earth-moving equipment and banned chemicals  which  have created “tremendous challenges for our water resources managers in the country.”

“The Chamber’s own studies have revealed that the enforcement of Health, Safety and Environmental standards through the engagement of competent Mining Engineers and Environmental Officers by small-scale miners will drastically improve the destructive nature of illegal mining,” he noted.

Danger of Sand winning

The Chamber also noted major risk that sand winning poses to the environment which “can be even worse than ‘galamsey.”

Mr. Adogla explained that “it [sand wining] can degrade a large area in a short time. This has affected water bodies, forest reserves and farming activities in many parts of the country. Sand winning is a direct cause of erosion which has a devastating impact on the environment and wildlife. Another area that requires urgent attention is the illegal fishing activities” he noted.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/cifmonline.com/Ghana

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This is in response to the call by President Akufo-Addo for corporate entities to support activities and projects to commemorate Ghana’s 60th anniversary.

[contextly_sidebar id=”cOaF4P3ttklLEmjmGbLDxhKr1BmGwkKJ”]Presenting the cheque to the Committee, President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, stated that the donation forms part of the corporate social investments of the entire membership of the Chamber.

He said, the role of responsible mining in Ghana’s development cannot be underestimated and the anniversary provides a great opportunity to demonstrate the industry’s importance to the socio-economic transformation of the country.

The Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Madam Frema Osei Opare, who received the donation on behalf of the Committee commended member companies of the Chamber for coming out to support the anniversary celebration. She indicated the government’s commitment to work with the Chamber to boost Ghana’s image as the preferred destination for mining in Africa.

The Ghana Chamber of Mines is the foremost mining association, which is focused on promoting socially and environmentally responsible mining in Ghana.

The Chamber is made up of mineral producing companies, exploration companies, mine contractors, mine supplies and service support companies as well as research institutions.

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Source: Ghana Chamber of Mines

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He said the government would go to every length to make sure that there was compliance with the various environmental, health and safety measures put in place to protect the environment and the lives of people in the mining communities.

He warned that unsafe practices that could create health and environmental hazards would not be tolerated.

The Minister said this in an address read for him at the 2016 inter-mines safety and first aid competition hosted by the Perseus Mining Ghana Limited, at Gyaman, near Ayanfuri, in the Central Region.

It was organized by the Ghana Chamber of Mines in collaboration with the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission and the Saint John Ambulance, to highlight the central role that health and safety played in the mining industry.

The event was held under the theme “Safety, our way of life” and on hand to participate, were four companies – Goldfields (Ghana) Limited Tarkwa Mine, Golden Star Mines, Chirano Mines and Perseus Mines.

Nii Osah Mills applauded the mining companies for their untiring effort to create a safe and conducive environment, something, which had helped to drastically reduce accidents at the mining sites and in the communities.

The same could however not be said about the activities of illegal miners, which had continued to destroy the land, pollute streams and river bodies, alongside the absence of safety measures, resulting in many accidents – deaths.
He underlined the need for chiefs, opinion leaders and all stakeholders to accept to work together to rein in the illegal miners.

Mr. Sulemanu Koney, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, said safety was a major priority of the mining industry.

That was why mining companies were placing greater emphasis and investments to create safe working conditions for their employees and people in the mining communities.

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Source: GNA

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