Honourable Ministers for Education, Lands and Natural Resources, and Western Region,
Honourable Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and MP for
Tarkwa-Nsuaem,
CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines
Honourable MCE
Nananom
The Vice Chancellor
Members of the Media
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am delighted to join you today to inaugurate a beautiful facility on the campus of University of Mines and Technology, built under the Ghana Chamber of Mines Tertiary Education Fund (TEF).
Let me start by thanking the Governing Board of the Tertiary Education Fund of the Chamber for their diligent work over the years and ensuring that students and faculty members benefit from the Fund.
The Ghana Chamber of Mines is a voluntary private sector employers association representing companies and organisations engaged in the minerals and mining industry.
Its mission is to represent the mining industry in Ghana using the resources and capabilities of its members to deliver services that address members, government and community needs, to enhance development.
The Chamber launched the Tertiary Education Fund in October 2019. The purpose is to help build the needed human resource capital for the mining industry including infrastructure for UMaT.
Annually, over USD440,000 is expected to be contributed into the Fund collectively by the producing, contract mining and explosive manufacturing member companies of the Chamber for a period of five years.
For the first five years (2019 - 2024), the Fund has been earmarked for the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa.
The Fund is directly managed by a Governing Board with membership from member companies of the Chamber and the University of Mines and Technology which reports to the Council of the Chamber.
The Tertiary Education Fund support areas are.
- Infrastructural development,
- Research of Faculty members and Postgraduate Students related to Industry needs and application of automated systems. Scholarships for Under-Graduate Students
- Industry Training Programmes.
- Internship programmes for Faculty Members
- Provision of educational resources for teaching and learning.
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has always shown leadership and the way in almost every aspect of our economic development. Prior to the introduction of the Local Content Regulation L.I-2431, the Chamber had taken the lead in the promotion of research and skills development through the Tertiary Education Fund and this magnificent building, as well as the cheque to be presented today, signify how fast we are moving.
Over the years, the mining industry has evolved with a lot of Ghanaians in key management positions. It is our collective responsibility to continue to nurture young talent, provide them with the needed resources and help to develop them for our industry. The upcoming engineers and geologists, among others, we see here today are the very ones who will manage our mining industry, hence our determination to provide them with all the needed resources now.
Honourable Ministers, maintaining and advancing academic research and skills development in the mining industry is a priority for the Chamber. So far, the Chamber has contributed over GHC1 million as research grants to both students and faculty members. The grants will cover research areas such as the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable small-scale gold mining methods and a model for Ghana, intelligent agriculture for alternative livelihood in mining communities, and a new hybrid technique for drilling and blasting for stable walls of open-pit mines.
As we position ourselves as the hub of mining services in Africa, research must take the lead role in our quest for top-notch productivity. Enhanced productivity requires the right human capital investment.
I must also acknowledge members of the Chamber, such as Asanko, Newmont, Gold Fields and AngloGold for also providing educational infrastructure in various communities to help improve access to educational resources.
Ladies and gentlemen, in an era of economic crisis, the Chamber and the industry have always stepped-up efforts to help contain the situation. This we have demonstrated through the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme and Forex Sales to the Bank of Ghana. As a critical pillar in our economic recovery, we urge government to also enhance its consultative approach to developing and implementing policies with regards to the mining industry. We are always open to share ideas on how the mining industry can be leveraged for sustainable economic growth.
We appreciate the collaborative effort of our sector Ministry under the leadership of Hon. Samuel Jinapor and the Minerals Commission. However, we believe that much more can be done, especially with the Ministries of Finance and Trade and Industry. A synergized policy amongst these three Ministries, the Minerals Commission and the Chamber of Mines will yield greater benefits than we can imagine.
The Chamber’s recent participation in the just ended 2023 Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa reaffirms our commitment to wooing the needed investment for our mining industry. Our efforts, and that of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources as well as the Minerals Commission can be solidified through coherent interlinked policies.
Hon. Ministers, before I conclude, I believe we can achieve a lot more from mining than we already have. But this requires a deliberate effort from all key stakeholders including our traditional authorities. We must move beyond the rhetoric in our fight against illegal mining as this affects each one of us. Government must genuinely play its role to pave the way for our traditional authorities and private industry players to follow suit. We cannot continue at this tangent and expect that the issue of illegal mining would just end. Let us engage more intimately, let us share the best of ideas and let us work together for the development of our industry and country.
Thank you for your attention.
