Minister grateful to Prez Akufo-Addo for leadership in managing Ghana's natural resources

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his leadership in the management and utilization of Ghana's natural resources.

Speaking at the Natural Resources Dialogue today in Accra, the Minister mentioned some of the measures taken by the government to ensure the effective management of natural resources, including ramping up local content and local participation in the mining industry, increasing the items on the Local Procurement List of goods and services reserved for Ghanaians, working with the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Securities and Exchange Commission to ensure large-scale mining companies list on the Ghana Stock Exchange, and bringing back the Obuasi mine to life.

"As always, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is grateful to the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for the extraordinary leadership demonstrated in the management and utilisation of our natural resources," Mr. Jinapor said.

He added that three new large-scale mining operations, including Newmont Ahafo North in the Ahafo Region, Azumah Resources in the Upper West Region, and Cardinal Namdini in the Upper East Region, were scheduled to start production within the next two years, which would contribute significantly to the country's economy.

Mr Jinapor also mentioned that a technical committee was finalizing a policy document on the exploitation, management, and utilization of the country's green minerals, including lithium, for the consideration of the Cabinet. 

He said that the goal was to ensure that the country retains the value chain of these future and other minerals in-country.

In the forestry sector, the Minister said that the government was implementing programmes such as the Ghana Forest Plantation Strategy and the Green Ghana Project, which had helped cultivate some 690,000 hectares of forest between 2017 and 2022.

Minister Jinapor said that the dialogue was aimed at discussing how to manage and utilize the country's natural resources responsibly and sustainably. 

The first day of the Natural Resources Stakeholder Dialogue ended with a call for all stakeholders to work together to manage and utilize Ghana's natural resources responsibly and sustainably for the collective good of all."