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A joint committee of experts from the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has been inaugurated to deal with issues in the large-scale mining sector.

The six-member committee been Chaired by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mining, George Mireku Duker, has been assigned the responsibility of overseeing issues such as in-country refinery and local content.

Samuel A. Jinapor who inaugurated the Committee on Monday, October 11, 2021 praised the mutually-respectful and result-driven relationship between his Ministry and the chamber.

He stated that the “importance of this committee cannot be over emphasized. This is an important committee. As we are very much aware, since I arrived I have had multiple engagement with the chamber and paid visits". 

“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 Minister added.

The President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr. Eric Asubonteng extolled the virtues of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Jinapor for reviving the fight against illegal mining and championing the sanitization of the small-scale mining sector.

He indicated that some moves made by the Minister in the Large Scale Mining sector will help generate more revenue for the country.

He observed that the establishment of the committee is a further boost of the Minister and what he intends to achieve as a Minister.

Mr. Asubonteng said that the Minister’s willingness to listen and involve others in decision making will ultimately benefit the sector.

He expressed the belief that the collaborative efforts between the Ministry and the Chamber of Mines will 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.

The Chairman of the Committee, George Mireku Duker in his acceptance speech, stated that an enormous task has been handed him and members of the group but promised to rise to the occasion whenever necessary.

He said that the protection of the country’s natural resources and improvement of revenue generation is one that ranks highly on the wish-list of every Ghanaian and that the committee will discharge their duty to utmost satisfaction.

The primary role of the committee is 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.

The other members of the group include: Mr. Sulemanu Koney, CEO Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr. Martin Ayisi, CEO of Minerals Commission; Mr. Benjamin Aryee, Advisor on Mines to the Minister; Mrs Juliet Manteaw-Kutin, Legal and legislative Affairs Committee of Chamber of Mines and Mr. Edwin Acquaye a member of Finance and Budget Committee of the Chamber of Mines.