Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mining, George Mireku Duker, has been appointed the chair of a six-member committee tasked with addressing issues relating to the large-scale mining sector.
The committee which consists of experts from the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources was inaugurated by Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, on Monday, October 11, 2021.
Other members of the committee are Sulemanu Koney, CEO of Ghana Chamber of Mines; Martin Ayisi, CEO of Minerals Commission; Benjamin Aryee, Advisor on Mines to the Minister.
The rest are Mrs. Juliet Manteaw-Kutin, Legal and legislative Affairs Committee of Chamber of Mines and Edwin Acquaye, a member of Finance and Budget Committee of the Chamber of Mines.
The committee has been tasked to serve as an advisory arm to the Ministry and Chamber of Mines on mining related matters and also guide the adoption and implementation of key policy interventions.
Speaking at the inauguration, Samuel Abu Jinapor applauded the mutually-respected and result-driven relationship between his Ministry and the chamber.
He tasked the committee to work hard to achieve its aim of overseeing issues such as in-country refinery and local content.
“It is very welcoming and refreshing that the ministry has developed a robust and effective working relationship with the chamber and that is how it should be.”
“The importance of this committee cannot be over emphasized. This is an important committee. As we are very much aware, since I arrived I’ve had multiple engagements with the chamber and paid visits”, he said.
President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Eric Asubonteng, also lauded the virtues of Samuel Abu Jinapor for reviving the fight against illegal mining and championing the sanitization of the small-scale mining sector.
Thus, he indicated that the steps taken by the minister in the Large Scale Mining sector will help generate more revenue for the country.
Mr. Asubonteng noted that the establishment of the committee is a feather in the cup of the Miinister adding that his willingness to listen and involve others in decision making will ultimately benefit the sector to guarantee success.
“On behalf of the chamber, we are grateful for all you’ve done and I can assure you that you can count on us. Our support today is not a flash in the pan and we are going to work effectively with you. You can continue to count on our support,” he said.
George Mireku Duker in his acceptance speech, promised to lead the committee to work hard to achieve their task given them.
He was of the belief that protection of the country’s natural resources and improvement of revenue generation is placed high on the sector’s to-do list.
