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CEO of Ghana’s oldest contract miner shares his thoughts on the industry

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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana’s oldest contract miner Paul List has been sharing his views and thoughts on the mining industry in Ghana.

The interview touched on a wide range of issues including BCN’s operation in Ghana, contract mining , challenges among others.

Below are highlights of the questions and answers.

Tell us a little bit about BCM and how you got here?

Bit of long story really but in short, and as you know we work in contract mining and all types of work associated with it. The company started 97 years ago when it was called F. List and Sons Bayswater contracting and at that time we mainly did civil earthworks and mining and civils. This was in Australia and before we moved permanently to Ghana, and became BCM, about 35 years ago. I took over as chief executive from my parents, at around the same time in 1981, and we diversified into the mining sector, which is where we still are today.

The opportunities were here, we had the expertise, and it was a decision we have never regretted. I myself naturalized as a Ghanaian in 2014, so the company is a wholly Ghanaian owned enterprise, and I am happy say, we are probably the most experienced mining contractors in the West African mining industry?

  • So what is the industry like today as compared to what it was like 30 years ago?

Well, its changed a lot; much better supervision by the authorities, of what we do and how we work in terms of safety and respect for the environment. Also the equipment we use today is far better, safer and efficient. There is obviously a lot more competition in the market, and other international companies have come to Ghana, but BCM is still very well respected.

One of the main things that has also changed is the emphasis on the environment, and the way the sector works. As CEO, finding new ways to tackle these issues, and improve the way we operate is my main task, and also ensuring we maintain our high-performance standards, and continually deliver client expectations. In the early years I used to be able to visit workers at various mine sites fairly regularly; these days I am kept busy in the boardroom and on the road, visiting clients, and attending meetings. I sometimes miss, just being in the field.

  • Is the sector as dangerous as it seems: any experiences you want to share?

Well as you know we have worked in several countries and not all of them are as safe as Ghana, and any kind of work, that involves large amounts of money, carries with it the natural human element of danger. Some of the places that a contract miner like ourselves has to work, can be quite dangerous simply because of the terrain, the tools we use, like explosives for blasting, and the giant vehicles and other equipment for haulage, as well as the kinds of environments we work in.

BCM has the best safety record of any mining contractor on West Africa, and we believe, in the whole of Africa.

Normally we work in places far away from normal human habitation and literally have to turn them into places where workers can stay, and where they can work in safety. As you know some of these places can also sometimes be quite lawless, especially in countries where civilian police authority isn’t found everywhere. It isn’t unusual for us to be attacked in some of the more remote locations, and if that doesn’t happen, then the day-to-day work of keeping safe on a mine site is quite a big challenge anyway. I have personally had to deal with mishaps on sites; landslides and even pit wall failures caused by adverse geotechnical environments. Its’ never easy.

As I said, not everywhere is as peaceful as Ghana, and I can guarantee most mining sector workers have had at least one life threatening experience in the field, that they would not like to repeat.

  • What do you think are some of the major challenges affecting the sector?

I think that for actual mining companies, the cost of exploration is still very expensive and doesn’t always come with reward. The cost of running a mine site can be quite expensive and if you miscalculate you can make large investments that can’t be supported by the eventual outputs from the mine.

For civil earthworks and contract miners like ourselves, I think the main challenge is that of ensuring we are always treated fairly when bidding for work, managing our workforce and retaining them, managing our fleet of equipment and keeping everyone safe where we work; of course there is a lot more, but in a nutshell that’s it.

  • How do you account for your success as a company?

I think one of the key factors has been our experienced technical expertise, our professionalism, and excellent safety record. Most industry watchers know that BCM has the best safety record of any in the sector.

I also think that the company has a great reputation which we have built over a number of years, and we also have the trust of the industry for delivering to schedule.

BCM is one of the few companies that provides a full range of diversified services, so in essence we are something of a one-stop-shop for civil earthworks and contract mining. Its’ that kind of expertise that made us the only Western open pit mining contractors in the Central Asia; Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

There are a lot of other things but one of the main ones, that gives us an edge, is that most of the workforce, you see employed by our competitors, were originally trained by BCM, something we are extremely proud of, and something that says that the BCM standard, is actually the industry standard.

  • So is BCM only engaged in contract mining?

Well to a large extent, our business is contract mining, but I have also ventured into the mine operator business using the investment arm of the company. As BCM Investments we purchased Adamus Resources in 2016, as part of a plan to strategically acquire and develop high-quality mines in Africa.

In 2018 we bought Segala Mining Corporation, a gold mine in Mali, and then in 2019, we bought an 80% share of Samira Hill SA, a gold mine in Niger.

The last investment we made was in 2020 with Northern Ashanti Mines Co. Led. The plan is to make them both profitable for us, and the communities and countries where we operate.

We have also ventured into Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Liberia, but as I mentioned before it is a business with a lot of risk, and sometimes if you operate in unstable environments you stand to lose everything

  • Does the mining sector deserve its poor reputation for the way it treats the environment?

To a certain extent, I would say yes. ‘The industry is responsible for a lot of land degradation, and for creating areas that will take years to regain any sense of being natural again. That said, in a lot of cases, degradation, environmental destruction were always going to be almost impossible to avoid, because of the continuing demand for the ore, metals or minerals that are held there, and the fact that there aren’t any real substitutes, to the methods being used.

What I think is more important now though, is the fact that action is being taken to deal with the problem; extractive industry is being held to account, and all the industry players are paying more attention to the effects of our operations, and taking steps to mitigate, re-afforest and re-vegetate where we work.

Kuami Eugene injured after ramming his vehicle into tipper truck on N1 highway

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Popular Ghanaian musician Kuami Eugene narrowly escaped a fatal accident when his car rammed into a tipper truck on Sunday night near CP close to DSTV’s head office along the George Walker Bush N1 Highway.

The incident occurred around 11:30 pm.

According to eyewitnesses, the award-winning musician’s Range Rover struck the tipper truck from behind, causing significant damage to his car, bearing registration number GC 220-21.

 

 

Upon arrival at the scene, ModernGhana editor Ajarfor organized transportation to rush Kuame Eugene and another individual to the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) for urgent medical attention.

Additionally, the Achimota Police were summoned to assist with the situation.

Eyewitnesses who stopped to render assistance reported that Kuame Eugene sustained a broken wrist and a deep cut on his right hand as a result of the accident.

Citinewsroom

Communications Minister to appear before Parliament today over internet challenges

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The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, is set to appear before Parliament on Monday, March 18, to provide insights into the government’s efforts to resolve the ongoing internet disruptions in the country.

The interruption in internet connectivity, now spanning five days, has triggered widespread frustration among Ghanaians.

Though the National Communications Authority has announced it will take five weeks to restore normalcy, MPs believe the Minister must brief Ghanaians on the measures taken to restore connectivity.

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto emphasized the necessity of the Minister’s briefing amidst the continuous updates from telecommunication service providers.

He stressed the significance of understanding the progress made in addressing the issue, particularly considering the potential national security implications arising from multiple submarine fibre optic cable disruptions in the high seas.

“The Ghana Telecommunication Chamber and the telcos have all issued statements pleading with their subscribers to bear with them. They say that there have been multiple submarine fibre optic cable disruptions in the high seas, and we do not know the extent of the distractions, and this is a national security issue.

“I want to appeal that the Communications Minister come to tell us what the government is doing to help restore normalcy so that we can have access to the internet and our data services.”

Citinewsroom

Bui Power explores wind power plant in Anloga

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The Bui Power Authority (BPA) is exploring the possibility of building a wind energy plant in Anloga in the Volta Region.


This follows a recent study which established that the Anloga District has the highest wind speed capable of generating electricity for the national grid.

“In view of this, BPA will explore to develop this God-given wind resource in the district,” the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BPA, Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, said.

He disclosed this prior to the inauguration of a GH¢1 million one-storey six-unit classroom block built by BPA for the Anloga-Avete D/A Basic School last Friday.

Mr Dzamesi said the wind energy project would make the district self-sufficient in terms of electricity, and generate jobs on a large scale for the youth.

He explained that the BPA had the mandate to develop all renewable energy resources, including wind energy.

For that matter, he said the authority attached utmost importance to the plan to construct the power plant in Anloga as soon as possible.

Mr Dzamesi reiterated that the Volta Region was dear to BPA as it was home to the Tsatsadu Generating Station, Ghana’s pioneering 45 kilowwatts micro hydro generating station at Alavanyo, which was built with local expertise and engineers.

Classroom block
Turning to the event, he said the classroom block bore testimony to BPA’s commitment to promote quality education in the communities.


“Education is the cornerstone of sustainable development, and at BPA we believe every child deserves access to quality education in a friendly learning environment,” he added

He said the classroom infrastructure was a worthy investment in the future of Anloga and was in line with the corporate social responsibility of BPA, with bright prospects of empowering the next generation for development.

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Glitch allows Ethiopia bank customers to withdraw millions

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Ethiopia’s largest commercial bank is trying to retrieve millions of dollars withdrawn by its customers after an incident it described as a systems glitch.

More than $40m (£31m) were reportedly withdrawn from the state-owned Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, or transferred to other banks, when customers found out they could take out more cash than they had in their accounts.

It took several hours before the institution froze all its transactions.

A cyber attack has been ruled out as the cause of the glitch.

Witnesses told the BBC some students in university campuses, where most of the withdrawals were made, have since been detained.

Rashid Bawa: Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria dies aged 83

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Rashid Bawa

Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria Rashid Bawa has died.

He passed away in Nigeria on Thursday (14 March). He is expected to be flown back home for burial in accordance with Islamic culture.

Rashid Bawa is a Ghanaian politician, diplomat and a member of the New Patriotic Party of Ghana.

The former MP had previously served as Ghana’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

He was the member of parliament for Akan Constituency of the republic of Ghana from 7 January 2001 to 6 January 2005 as an independent.

Ambassadorial appointment

In June 2017, President Nana Akuffo-Addo named Rashid Bawa as Ghana’s ambassador to Nigeria. He was among eight other distinguished Ghanaians who were named to head various diplomatic Ghanaian mission in the world.

Politics

Bawa was an independent candidate in the 3rd Parliament of the 4th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana. He was elected as the member of parliament for the Akan constituency in the Volta region in the 3rd parliament of the 4th republic of Ghana.

Bawa was elected as the member of parliament for the Akan constituency in the 2000 Ghanaian general elections.[6] He was an independent candidate for the said elections.

His constituency was the second independent candidate to win the said election in the Volta Region. He was elected with 12,306 votes out of 22,533 total valid votes cast.

Meanwhile some Ghanaians have been reacting to his death of Facebook.

Below are some of the reactions.

 

 

 

Red Sea cables have been damaged, disrupting internet traffic

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Damage to submarine cables in the Red Sea is disrupting telecommunications networks and forcing providers to reroute as much as a quarter of traffic between Asia, Europe and the Middle East, including internet traffic.

Cables belonging to four major telecoms networks have been “cut” causing “significant” disruption to communications networks in the Middle East, according to Hong Kong telecoms company HGC Global Communications.

HGC estimates that 25% of traffic between Asia and Europe as well the Middle East has been impacted, it said in a statement Monday.

The company said it is rerouting traffic to minimize disruption for customers and also “extending assistance to affected businesses.”

HGC did not say how the cables had been damaged or who was responsible.

South Africa-based Seacom, which owns one of the cable systems affected, told CNN that repairs wouldn’t begin for at least another month, partly because of the length of time it takes to secure permits to operate in the area.

Underwater cables are the invisible force driving the internet, with many funded in recent years by internet giants such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook parent Meta. Damage to these subsea networks can cause widespread internet outages, as happened following the Taiwan earthquake in 2006.

The destruction of cables in the Red Sea comes weeks after the official Yemeni government warned of the possibility that Houthi rebels would target the cables. The Iranian-backed militants have already disrupted global supply chains by attacking commercial vessels in the crucial waterway.

Reports last week from Israeli news outlet Globes suggested the Houthis had been behind the damage to the cables.

Yemeni rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi denied the allegations. “We have no intention of targeting sea cables providing internet to countries in the region,” he said.

The Houthis have since blamed British and US military units operating in the area for the damage, according to a report Saturday by the rebels’ official news agency. CNN has contacted the UK and US governments for comment.

Seacom’s chief digital officer Prenesh Padayachee said acquiring permits from the Yemeni maritime authority to repair the cables could take up to eight weeks. “Client traffic will continue to be rerouted until we are able to repair the damaged cable,” he added.

Among the other networks affected is Asia-Africa-Europe 1, a 25,000-kilometer (15,534-mile) cable system connecting South East Asia to Europe via Egypt. The Europe India Gateway (EIG) has also been damaged.

EIG connects Europe, the Middle East and India and counts Vodafone as a major investor. Vodafone, a large mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, declined to comment.

The company says on its website that it can send internet traffic across some 80 submarine cable systems that reach 100 countries.

Most large telecoms companies rely on multiple undersea cable systems, allowing them to reroute traffic in the event of an outage to ensure uninterrupted service.

CNN

Veteran highlife musician K K Kabobo is dead

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K K Kabobo

Ghanaian highlife musician, Kwabena Kwakye Kabobo, popularly known as K K Kabobo, has died.

He died at the University of Ghana Medical Centre on Thursday (14 March).

The veteran musician  who last appeared on Asaase Radio in June 2023, had been battling liver disease over the past few months.

The Onyame Ehu Wu hit maker, who recently revealed that he has 17 children with five different women, said his music career began by joining the band at an early age.

Pupil teacher

Last year K K Kabobo told Asaase Radio he  was a pupil teacher at a point in life due to lack of funds to further his education.

Speaking with Benjamin Offei-Addo on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (7 June), Kabobo said: “I became a pupil teacher because, I had no money to continue my education, so the school master I was staying with applied for that job for me.”

“I was employed by the Methodist Educational Unit, I started at New Edubiase Methodist Primary School in 1976…”

Touching on his stint with different bands, Kabobo said: “I played about 18 months before coming out with a solo album. I played Sidiku Buari Express, Ampofo Aburi, I joined F Michaels Band. I just wanted to be a studio artist so after one year, when the bands I was playing with were not recording, I moved on.”

Jinapor: Africa must leverage on technology and nature-based solutions to tackle climate change

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Samuel A. Jinapor, MP, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, has appealed to African countries to leverage on technological innovations as a means to bolster global initiatives aimed at fostering climate resilience, noting that this approach is crucial in fortifying the environment against the adverse effects of climate change.

Delivering an address at the Africa Energy Technology Conference on Wednesday, 13th March 2024, Hon. Jinapor reinforced his absolute belief in the potential of technological advancement in ensuring efficiency and reducing waste in the harnessing of natural resources, thereby contributing to global efforts toward the building of resilient climate.

Speaking on the theme “Advancing Energy Technologies for a Sustainable Future: Mitigating Climate Change, Protecting Environment, and Safeguarding Public Health,’ the Lands Minister expressed the conviction and expectation that the conference will help expedite efforts towards the diversification of the energy mix of African countries which will culminate in the reliance on green energy.

“ To get the best out of these minerals to support the energy transition, we need to adopt innovative measures for their exploitation to underpin broad-based sustainable growth and socio-economic development, while contributing to the fight against climate change. It is by harnessing the power of innovation that we can maximise efficiency, reduce waste, and create knowledge-driven mining and energy sectors”, he said.

“It is by the power of technology that we can address the historical environmental and social challenges associated with mining, promote energy efficiency and build a circular economy. And it is through innovation that we can increase production and add more value to the minerals we produce to support this energy transition,” he added.

The Minister disclosed that government, through the implementation of Green Minerals Policy has set course towards the sustainable and environment friendly exploitation of resources while also playing a role in transition and evolution of green energy.

He accentuated that the drive towards green energy affords African leaders a unique platform to use technology, innovation and value addition to develop their respective countries.

“Ghana, under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, has adopted a Green Minerals Policy, which aims at promoting value addition and beneficiation across the value chain of our green minerals, while contributing, substantially, to the green energy transition. We are, also, promoting, through this Policy, local content and local participation across the value chain of our green minerals, from exploration, through mining to downstream production, to ensure that Ghanaians, who are by our national Constitution, the owners of these minerals, benefit optimally from them.”

He, however, stated that while technological advancement are playing their parts, governments can through the implementation of nature-based climate action as evidenced by Ghana’s policies such as the Green Ghana Project help attenuate the impact of climate change.

“While some technologies are being developed to reduce emissions in these areas, they are not yet market-ready. According to the IEA, half of global emission reduction technologies needed to reach net zero are not yet on the market. Rapid innovation is, therefore, needed to bring to market clean technologies, in particular, for those parts of the energy system where emissions are harder to address, such as heavy industry and long-distance transport.

“But even as we continue to develop these technologies, we must, also, pay particular attention to those other mitigating factors that are not too difficult to achieve, such as nature-based climate action. While technologies for carbon capture and storage continue to evolve, forests and other nature-based solutions have proven to be a more cost-effective means of carbon sequestration,” he said.

The Africa Energy Technology Conference is Africa’s premiere energy technology driven exhibition and networking conference that seeks to create a distinctive platform for key stakeholders and industry players within the energy ecosystem as part of making Africa the ultimate destination for global energy-centered discussions and policies that propel industry development.

Lands Commission reviews fees and charges upward from 25 March

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The Lands Commission has announced plans to review upwards fees and charges for all services effective Monday 25 March, an official notice has said.

According to the notice, the adjustment is in accordance with fees and charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations, 2023(LI2481).

“We wish to inform our valued clients that, in accordance with fees and charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations, 2023(LI2481), there will be an adjustment in the fees and charges for all services provided by the Lands Commission.”

“This adjustment will take effect from Mondy 25 March 2024,” the Lands Commission notice said.

 

 

About Lands Commission

The Lands Commission is established by Article 258 of the 1992 Constitution and the Lands Commission Act, 2008 (Act 767) as a body corporate with perpetual succession, a common seal and may sue and be sued in its corporate name.

The current Lands Commission, as part of the Public Sector Reform Programs and the Land Administration Project, has been substantially remodelled by Act 767 to increase its efficiency and effectiveness.

The Commission on behalf of the Government, manage public lands and any other lands vested in the President by the Constitution or by any other law and any lands vested in the Commission.

It also advises the Government, local authorities and traditional authorities on the policy framework for the development of particular areas of the country to ensure that the development of individual pieces of land is coordinated with the relevant development plan for the area concerned.

 

Reporting by Fred Dzakpata in Accra