Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, has commended Heath Goldfields, operators of the Bogoso-Prestea Mine, for the significant progress made towards reviving the mine and improving its operations.
The minister gave the commendation during a working visit to the mine to assess investments, rehabilitation works and the prospects of restoring full-scale mining activities.
He recalled that last year, he received reports of agitations among workers who were dissatisfied with the pace of investment by the new owners and feared that the mine would not provide the employment opportunities they expected.
He said he subsequently visited Prestea with the Municipal Chief Executive and the Member of Parliament to listen to the concerns of the workers and assess the situation at the mine.
According to him, the conditions he witnessed were depressing, prompting him to draw the attention of the sector minister, who also visited the facility to assess the challenges.
The Regional Minister said his latest visit was to evaluate the progress made over the past year and some months and examine the mine’s future prospects.
He stressed that mining had been central to the economic and social lives of residents in the Prestea-Bogoso area for more than a century, making the revival of the mine essential to the local economy and the Western Region.
He expressed satisfaction with the improvements presented by management and commended the Managing Director and his team for their efforts.
Mr. Joseph Nelson further noted that the mine’s revival would create employment, support host communities and generate revenue for the government through corporate taxes and other statutory payments.
He also expressed optimism that more jobs would be created when the underground mining operation, which management expects to commence next year, becomes operational.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of Heath Goldfields, Mr. Patrick Mensah Appiah, disclosed that the company had mobilised approximately 194 million US dollars to revive and upgrade the Bogoso-Prestea Mine.
He said the funds were raised through local and international capital markets, using the company’s credibility, expertise and commitment to transparency to attract investors.
Mr. Mensah Appiah described the mine’s revival as both a business and national responsibility, insisting that Ghanaians must take the lead in developing the country’s natural resources.
He also announced that the company had launched a 20-million-dollar, five-year community development plan focused on education, healthcare and infrastructure.
According to him, the initiative, alongside local procurement and employment, is expected to inject significant resources into the local economy and improve living conditions in host communities.
On the rehabilitation of the processing plant, he revealed that a section of the facility had been out of operation since 2015 and had not received the necessary upgrades until the company’s intervention.
He said management had started restoring some sections of the plant, repairing corroded equipment and replacing damaged components to improve production capacity.
Mr. Mensah Appiah acknowledged that the rehabilitation required substantial investment but said the company was prepared to commit the necessary resources.
He added that the investment had helped restore mining operations and employment opportunities for more than 2,000 people in the community.
He expressed confidence that the ongoing rehabilitation and planned underground mining operations would further strengthen the mine and contribute to economic development in the Western Region.
Source: Nana Fynn
