The Chairman for the Occasion;
The Hon. Minister for Western Region;
The Hon. Minister for Education;
The President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines;
CEO and Members of the Ghana Chamber of Mines;
Hon. Municipal Chief Executive for Tarkwa-Nsuaem;
The Vice Chancellor and staff of UMaT;
The Chairman and Members of the Tertiary Educational Fund (TEF) Board;
Nananom;
Friends from the Media;
Distinguished Invited Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
I am extremely excited to join my colleagues, the Western Regional Minister, Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah and the Minister for Education Hon. Yaw Osei Adutwum this morning to inaugurate the Mining and Mineral Technology Faculty block built by the Ghana Chamber of Mines’ Tertiary Education Fund (TEF). Please join me to applaud the Chamber and its Member Companies for their continuous support and quest to catalyse the development of our nation in diverse ways.
It is refreshing to note that the Chamber and its allied Members are taking significant steps on the Corporate Social Responsibility front. We acknowledge and appreciate your significant contributions in these initiatives including education, health, infrastructure, water and sanitation and sports among others. It is my sincere hope that such practice would continue to provide the necessary foundation for sustainable development within the host communities.
Government through the Minerals Development Fund (MDF) and other subventions have also completed the new UMaT Administration block and other lecture halls and administrative structures on UMaT Campus to depeen the effort of maintaining its vision of being acknowledged as the center of excellence for training world class professionals for the Mining, Petroleum and allied institutions. This effort by the Chamber coupled with support of other stakeholders will go a long way to enhance government’s policy of equal access of education.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at this moment in our history, it is important to work hand in gloves with the Chamber to build our dear nation. As partners in the development of Ghana, we need to continually reflect and exchange views on evolving developments to enhance the partnership as we move into more challenging times. In particular, we need to deepen the dialogue which would assist in pushing the responsible mining agenda in a more coordinated and sustainable manner.
Our recent engagements with the investor community at the just ended 2023 Mining Indaba forum, with the Chamber and other state agencies demonstrate our collective effort to position Ghana as the mining hub of choice on the African continent. I urge the Chamber to continue with its collaborative efforts and cooperation with the Government as we work around the clock to revive our economy.
President of the Chamber of Mines, Ladies and Gentlemen, you will agree with me that Ghana has a youthful population and with the right technical training and education in mining with national strategies and policies that provide the right environment for the creation of employment opportunities, they would be the nation’s greatest asset for development.
One of the avenues to realize this is through partnership with industry. It is my expectation that the Chamber will continue to play a complementary role in the promotion of mining education to equip our youth with the right skills for both local and international employment.
To conclude, I wish to urge the Chamber to increase its support to beneficiary students, especially, females to promote gender equality in the mining industry. On behalf of the Government of Ghana and on my own behalf I say Ayekoo to the Chamber and TEF for putting up this magnificent and fit-for-purpose edifice to support learning in our dear UMaT; we truly appreciate your unflinching support!
May our bond of friendship continue to grow in the years ahead of us.
Thank you for your attention.
