Chief Executive of Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr. Sulemanu Koney has called for the listing of Akwatia Mines, which had been dormant due to lack of investments, on the stock exchange to enable Ghanaians invest in it.
He made the call while speaking at a two-day forum organized by WACAM, a mining advocacy organisation, to discuss the current state of mining and develop concrete steps for the implementation of legal and regulatory reforms to support responsible mining agenda. The forum was on the theme, “Achieving the Responsible Mining Goals: A Reality or Mirage”.
Koney noted that members of the Chamber were committed to responsible mining and supporting government’s economic recovery efforts in addition to other obligations to catalyse Ghana’s development.
Ahmed Nantogmah, Director of External Relations and Communications at the Chamber further made a presentation on “examining the effectiveness of responsible gold mining policies in Ghana”.
Nantogmah explained the issues on the framework for responsible mining practices; responsible mining policies in Ghana; responsible mining practices in the large-scale sector and interventions made by the Chamber in the Artisanal Small-Scale Sector and ended with some recommendations for change.
Francis Opoku, Director of Finance, Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM), said there was the need for enhanced enforcement to clamp down on illegal mining which had led to the pollution of water bodies and degradation of forest reserves.
Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, Executive Director of WACAM on his part stated that the flexibility of the law on the mining companies indicated how powerful they were in the country.
