Nation needs minerals exploration strategy

Mr. Sulemanu Koney, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines has said the country needs a comprehensive and sustainable exploration strategy to ensure that new mines are developed and opened to increase the contribution of mines to national development agenda.

 

He indicated that the country needs to develop aggressive strategies to reposition itself in order to maintain its pre-eminent position in gold production in West Africa sub region.

Mr. Koney speaking at a workshop for media practitioners in Kumasi, Ashanti region, he confirmed that the country is endowed with huge quantities of gold ore and that there is the need to develop deliberate strategies to encourage both local and international investments to explore and develop.

My Koney stressed that mining had and continued to make huge contribution to the socio-economic development of the country, especially in revenue generation, employment and community infrastructure development, adding that mining industry is currently the leader in the purchase and supply of local goods that have about 19 items mining companies were required to purchase from the local market.

He mentioned high taxes, high energy cost, environmental destruction by illegal miners, irregular disbursement of royalties to communities, inefficient utilization of mineral revenue and others, as some of the challenges facing the mining industry.

 

Mr. Koney indicated that illegal mining is quite different from small scale mining and that the laws were clear, except that their implementation is stalled as he urged the media to show support in its move to stop the menace.

Illegal mining, he said, is a natural disaster that should be fought by all and sundry, since by law (Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act 703) natural resources belong to Ghanaians, including media practitioners.

“It is time the media asked relevant questions to provoke answers as to who are behind illegal mining activities across the country,” he said.

Mr. Koney proposed the enforcement of laws on illegal mining to protect the environment to boost gold production, which holds 97.3% in the Minerals landscape towards optimising fiscal revenue from the mining industry.