Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh
THE MINING sector has generated a total of GH¢ 1.3 billion in revenue to government since the beginning of this year.
According to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, the amount represented 17 per cent of total government revenue realised so far by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The minister disclosed these while addressing journalists at the Information Ministry’s ‘Meet-the-Press Series’ on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, in Accra.
He said the GH¢ 1.3 billion reflected an increase of 39 per cent in the sector’s contribution to government revenue- relative to the GH¢980 million contributed in 2018.
Export
According to him, “an amount of US$3.3 billion has been generated by the sector in 2019, as export earnings, as compared to three billion dollars, generated over the period in 2018, making mining a major forex earner for Ghana.”
Jobs
As at June 2019, a total of 26,425 persons were employed directly and indirectly by the mining sector.
He added that “this is a marked improvement over last year’s full employment figure of 23, 894.”
He revealed that Ghanaian participation in the mining sector had been on the rise.
In 2018, he indicated, local procurement of goods accounted for 87.3 per cent (US$1.4 billion) of total procurement in the mining sector.”
According to him, as at June 2019, a total of 25 local companies have been registered by the Minerals Commission to provide services.
BY Melvin Tarlue