Resolve challenges in mining sector - Veep tasks Minerals Commission
Vice-president Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has challenged the Minerals Commission to ensure an effective and efficient integrated mining sector capable of resolving mining challenges in the country.
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He also asked the management of the commission to address the delays associated with the acquisition of mineral rights for the sector to thrive.
Mr Amissah-Arthur made the call when he inaugurated a new head office complex of the Minerals Commission in Accra yesterday.
The building, constructed at a cost of GH¢5.8 million, is to serve as a one-stop shop for an efficient regulation of the mining industry in the country.
Mr Amissah-Arthur said the mineral sector had undergone several challenges in the last three decades which had led to the fallen production levels and poor infrastructure in the area.
He, however, observed that the sector, which accounted for 40 per cent of the country’s merchandise exports in the recent past, had witnessed some level of investments, employing more than 112,000 people.
To further improve on the sector’s fortunes, he said a new minerals and mining policy had been developed to help address some of its challenges.
Local content
Lauding the commission for adopting a local content approach to constructing the building, Mr Amissah-Arthur called on other institutions to emulate the commission’s example in its adoption of innovative and creative local expertise in the construction of the complex.
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He was particularly pleased to note that the new office complex was designed to conserve energy with the addition of biomass and solar systems. The project was constructed from the commission’s internally generated funds.
Commission
The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Dr Tony Aubynn, recalled the establishment of the commission in 1984 which was then housed at the State House Tower Block in Accra.
He explained that in 1989, the commission relocated from the State House to the Minerals House at the Airport Residential Area till 1998 when the head office was again moved to its current location on the Switchback Road at Cantonments.
Dr Aubynn was upbeat about the commission’s execution of its mandate over the years in spite of the challenges, adding that the achievements chalked up by the commission were evident on record.
The chief executive said the new office complex would help the commission to improve on its effectiveness, accountability and compliance in the management of mineral rights and other related revenues.
He added that the commission would now be in a better position to possess and effectively utilise a computerised administration process for managing the full cycle of mineral licences and related payments.
Dr Aubynn hinted that Ghana had secured assistance from the Australian Government to implement a fully-fledged computerised mining system for the country. An agreement to that effect was signed in June this year.
Minister
A Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said the ministry was reviewing and evaluating the performance of some agencies under it to ensure that they discharged their functions well.
He pledged the ministry’s support to the various agencies in the discharge of their duties.