Gov’t will not renege on ensuring responsible mining – President Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo has given the assurance that the government will ensure that all mining activities, especially in the forest, are done responsibly to protect the environment.
His comment follows concerns raised by some groups about mining of Bauxite in the Atiwa forest.
According to the President, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has sponsored work to develop a biodiversity and hydrological study in the Atiwa forest to guide and inform them on how mining activities are carried out in the forest.
President Akufo-Addo said this when he launched in Accra the Integrated Aluminium Industry Projects.
The ceremony also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Industry Corporation (GIADEC) and its strategic partner for the Nyinahini Mine, Rocksure International.
President Akufo-Addo announced government’s approval of the selection of Rocksure International as strategic partner of GIADEC saying it is a major step towards developing the Bauxite industry.
According to the president, all necessary infrastructure needed to ensure the development of the Bauxite industry will be put in place.
He added that the government has resolved to make the industry a globally competitive one and is working to find solutions to competitively priced power.
On the issues about the environment, the President assured Ghanaians that mining would be done in a secured manner.
President Akufo-Addo welcomed prospective investors in the mining sector, assuring them of the government’s readiness to work with firms that will respect the country’s laws.
Key projects by GIADEC
To develop an Integrated Aluminium Industry in Ghana, the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Industry Corporation (GIADEC) has outlined four key projects.
Project one would see the expansion of the existing mine at Awaso and the building of a refinery. Project two would see the development of one of two new mines which will be built in the Nyinahin-Mpasaaso area.
The third would establish a mine in Kyebi and another mine in the Nyinahini-Mpassaso area, while Project four would modernise and increase VALCO’s production capacity.
The CEO of GIADEC, Michael Ansah, said government’s vision of developing the bauxite industry is now a reality with the selection of a wholly owned Ghanaian company to partner GIADEC to develop the sector.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor said the selection of Rocksure International, a wholly owned Ghanaian company to partner GIADEC to prosecute Project 2 was done in a competitive tender.
He said his ministry would ensure that mining in Ghana are done responsibly.
GIADEC was established through an Act of Parliament in August 2018 to develop and promote a globally competitive Integrated Aluminium Industry in Ghana.
The mandate of GIADEC fits within the government’s Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda of reviving the manufacturing industry and adding value to the country’s minerals, oil and gas.
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