Chamber hold public lecture

Story: Boahene Asamoah

THE Ghana Chamber of Mines, the umbrella organisation of mining firms in the country, would next Tuesday, November 18, 2008, organise a public lecture as part of activities marking the 80th anniversary of the organisation.
Prof Daniel Mireku-Gyimah, Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, would deliver the lecture on the topic “Life without Mining is impossible”.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee, the topic, though controversial, was a reflection of the reality in that every activity of human live deepened on mining activities.
She said from agriculture to the use of new technology such Internet and computers, all such activities depended on mine products that had been transformed to better the lives of people.
Ms Aryee stated that contrary to perceptions of environmental degradation as a result of mining activities, the chamber had adopted best practises to ensure that the environment was not degraded.
“All human activities have impact on the environment”, she stated, adding that “technology has however made it possible to manage the effects of human activity on the environment.
The CEO stated that mining had always been part of human activity, and “would continue to be part of our lives”, adding that there was the need to ensure best practices to ensure development.
She said the chamber, together with the mining firms, had always paid attention to Corporate Social Responsibility and supported communities to ensure their activities impacted such communities positively.
The CEO said the chamber introduced the “Environmental Management Programme”, that monitors year-on-year environmental issues to ensure best practices, and that a recent survey had indicated that the country must harness the minerals that would be mined for economic development.
She said recent survey had indicated that the country had more untapped resources such as kaolin, mica, lime and others that needed to be exploited for the country’s development.
Ms Aryee stated that the chamber would continue with its efforts to ensure that communities and the firms continued to pursue policies that would ensure a win-win situation for all.
“Building trust is a continuous process and we are committed to ensuring that we build the right policies to manage conflicts and resolve our differences”, the CEO stated.
Ms Aryee stated that the chamber looked forward to collaborating with all stakeholders in moving the mining sector forward for the benefit of all.