Ing. Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has called on the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) to use part of its resources to create Model Small Scale Mines that would do mining responsibly.
According to the Chamber, the government ought to get the maximum returns in mining and so it will be a positive move to establish the model mines.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chamber, Ing. Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, indicated that he has already spoken with the CEO of Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, on the need to use part of the board’s resources to create the model mines.
He was speaking in an interview with DAILY GUIDE during a recent two-day training programme jointly organised by the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in Kumasi.
The training brought together editors and senior reporters from the mining regions in the country.
The aim was to give journalists the tools and knowledge to report more accurately on mining sector.
He said the model mine is one of the areas the Chamber wants to venture into in collaboration with government under the Responsible Corporative Mining (RCM) initiative.
He explained that mining is very capital intensive, complex and very technical and believed that the work of the CRM will be an improvement on the previous Community Mining initiative.
“But the major element is the resources that needed to be pushed into the RCM programme,” he said.
He added, “We will need resources to plan the model mines well, do proper prospecting and create a centralised point where processing of the ore will be done in the right way that will not degrade lands or destroy water bodies”.
Dr. Ashigbey also used the platform to advocate for reforms to the Minerals and Mining Act.
He emphasised that stronger regulations and sharper oversight, would not only protect communities but also ensure Ghana remains attractive to investors.
Chief Operating Officer of the Chamber, Ahmed Dasana Nantogmah, noted that mining contributes significantly to Ghana’s foreign exchange, job creation, and community development.
“But mining is also highly technical, and often misunderstood”, he added.
He, therefore, pointed out that the training was designed to bridge that gap, to foster understanding and encourage informed reportage on the part of journalists.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Kumasi