Workshop on mining held in Accra

Story: Boahene Asamoah

THE Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Mrs Esther Obeng Dapaah, has called on all stakeholders in the mining industry to collaborate their efforts to raise the living standards of people in the mining communities.
In a speech read on her behalf at a one-day workshop on enhancing the benefits of mining in Accra yesterday, the minister said “the donor community, mining firms, and civil society groups must work closely together to ensure that the benefits of mining are used to raise the living standards of the people”.
The workshop, which was organised by the Ghana Chamber of Mines in collaboration with the World Bank and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and United Nations Centre for Trade and Development (UNCTAD, brought together stakeholders from all the mining firms, as well as policy makers, civil society groups and some local representatives.
Mrs Dapaah also called for the identification of new collaborators and actors to deepen the level of collaboration and also with the aim of reducing poverty.
He said the country was also playing a leadership role in the extractive industry to ensure transparency to ensure that all stakeholders knew the use of mining resources in the country.
Mrs Dapaah stated that the government was committed to ensuring the development of the mining sector, since it played a critical role in the economic development of the country.
The Managing Director of the Minerals Commission, Mr Ben Aryee, stated that mining had the potential to impact positively on the economic development of the country.
He, however, said that there should be ways to ensure the effective management of mineral resources that would trickle down to the ordinary people.
Presenting findings of research conducted in four countries on the challenge of Mineral Wealth: Using resource endowments to foster sustainable development, Ms Kathryn McPhail of the ICMM, called for new partnerships to ensure the socio-economic benefits of mining activities.
She said while it was not always the case that mining could promote economic development, evidence from the four countries suggested that mining could promote economic growth and development.
The four countries on which the research work was done were Ghana, Tanzania, Chile and Peru.
Ms MacPhail stated that in the case of Ghana, economic stability had led to a $5 billion investment in the mining industry over the past few years.
She said the research revealed that in Obuasi, the standard of living was better than most other districts in the country.
“Mining resurgence can promote economic growth and poverty reduction,” she stated.
She added that about 46 per cent of procurements in the mining industry were done locally, adding that “local procurement is fundamental to reduce poverty”.
Ms McPhail indicated that mining activities could make strong contributions by way of taxes and employment opportunities.