In a bid to renew their resolve and remind them of the crucial and patriotic role they play in government’s agenda for the mining industry, Mr George Mireku Duker, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines on Friday, August 12, 2022, engaged Regional Managers and District Officers of the Minerals Commission in Kumasi.
The engagement between the Deputy Minister and the Officers of the Minerals Commission in the Ashanti Region is an epoch-making move aimed at stirring up the commitment of staff and reminding them of the task ahead.
To make them appreciate the good works of government and the steadfast dedication and commitment of government to the growth of the mining sector, Mr Mireku Duker gave an all-encompassing presentation on the mining sector under the Akufo-Addo led administration.
The presentation which commenced with a deep historical view of Ghana’s mining space, covered areas such as the fight against illegal mining, the Community Mining Scheme (CMS) plans by government to add value to raw materials mining, and policy interventions among others.
On policy interventions, Mr Mireku Duker detailed the Gold Buying Policy by the Bank of Ghana which takes off on September 1, the Establishment of the Salt Development Corporation, the Review of the Mining Act 703 of 206 and the Audit of the accounts and activities of large scale mining firms are making major impacts on the sector.
According to the Deputy Minister, the desire by government to ensure that the country moves from being a mere producer of gold to a mining hub in the continent has birthed a partnership between Ghana and India to set up a refinery with a capacity of refining 400kg daily. The facility will be commissioned on August 26, 2022.
As part of plans to maximize revenue from the mining sector, Mr Duker said, “the Mineral Income Investment Fund (MIIF) was created to “manage equity interest share of the Republic in the Mining companies to receive mineral royalties and other related income due the Republic from mining operations to provide for the management and investment of the assets of the Fund and related matters.”
In the area of interventions targeted at ridding the sector of some destructive practices, he mentioned the introduction of the live guards and purchase of the speedboats as well as the CMS which is a more responsible substitute for illegal mining as some examples of government’s handiwork in the sector.
After giving the Regional Managers and District Officers a comprehensive overview of the country’s current state of the mining regime, the Deputy Minister gave a listening ear to some concerns by them and promised to forward the same to the Sector Minister, Mr Samuel A. Jinapor for quick resolutions where necessary.
Mr Martin Ayisi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, in his opening remarks said his outfit has enjoyed a fruitful working relationship with the current Minister and his deputies.
He reminded the Officers of their core mandate as implementors of government policies and urged them to remain committed.
