We must join Africa Responsible Mineral Sourcing Initiative - Sulemanu Koney urges govt

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Sulemanu Koney, has urged the government to join the conversation on the Africa Responsible Mineral Sourcing Initiative, given the country's towering profile in the mining industry.

He pledged to engage state institutions on the advantages in the country's participation in the responsible mining sourcing initiative in Africa.

That, Mr Koney said, would enable the country to contribute to a system that affected individuals and communities.

In a statement in solidarity with the initiative at the Africa Mining Workshop in Dubai, UAE, the CEO said the country's experience in the mining sector would be essential to the objective of the initiative, adding, “we cannot look on passively as others engage in discussions about a matter that affects a major sector of the local economy”.

He said as a continent-wide subject, the issue of responsible mining sourcing had caught fire on the continent, and that the country would be best served if an input is made to improve the conversation.

Situation

Ghana, currently Africa's largest gold exporter, is conspicuously missing in the list of countries that have signed onto the initiative in spite of the country's vast natural resource base and mining history.

Indeed, only 16 African countries, including Uganda, Chad, Nigeria, South Sudan and South Africa have signed onto the initiative.

Zambia, a nation rich in coal, cobalt, copper, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, steel, sulfur, zinc and uranium, is among a few others that have now applied to join the initiative.

Event

The workshop was part of a bigger Dubai Precious Metals Conference 2024, which brought together ministers of state, other top government officials, financial intelligence authorities, central banks, commercial banks and mining companies.

The rest were insurers, logistics providers, assurers, aggregators, traders, investors, development partners, civil society and precious metals industry leaders.

It aimed to facilitate meaningful collaboration and engagement on pressing issues of concern in the mining industry.

Another issue for discussion was responsible mining sourcing in Africa, with a priority on artisanal and small-scale mining communities.

The programme was organised by the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, with the support of a Ghanaian NGO, Oheneba Poku Foundation and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC).

A number of companies in the mining value chain, many of them owned and run by non-Africans, set up exhibition stands to advertise their wares, expertise and services at the conference.

It also opened up the space for networking among industry players, offering direct contact among miners, state authorities, investors, regulators and advocates of diverse initiatives.

Acceptable practice

The CEO of Oheneba Poku Foundation, Fred Kyei Sapong, said while various guidelines and frameworks existed in the mining space, "the bottom line is that we need to structure it in a manner that works within our context and globally acceptable in practice".

The foundation, he said, was engaged in "environmental stewardship" by sensitising communities to take charge of their environment through proactive projects.

Mr Sapong explained that the partnership with the Africa Minerals Strategy Group and the DMCC offered more exciting prospects through "working out this framework that will structure how minerals are ethically sourced in a sustainable manner in Africa".

He said it was not in doubt that this was the "right approach in solving the menace of irresponsible mining practices and making sure that it works out".

"So, from the mine to the market, throughout the value chain, all the gaps that are in our line of business are what we are working on now," Mr Sapong said.