Miners pledge support to turn economy around
The President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Joshua Mortoti, has reiterated the industry’s commitment to support the government to resolve the current economic crises.
However, he said the chamber expected more clarity on governments’s actions regarding the industry to enable its members to continue to support the initiatives in the short to medium term with the cardinal aim of maintaining the viability of the mines.
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Mr Mortoti said this in his address at the 8th Ghana Mining Industry Awards (GMIA) held in Accra on December 2.
It was held on the theme: “Advancing a Legacy of Sustainable and Responsible Mining through Innovation and Partnerships”.
“As we support and collaborate with the government to resolve the current economic crises, we expect the government to provide the needed and critical support such as security for the mines, policy consistency, investment in exploration and lead in the development of host communities.
“The government has an important part to play in creating a conducive environment for businesses to thrive. When businesses thrive, communities, citizens and the country at large thrive,” he said.
He said mining companies contributed a lot to socio-economic investment and development in the communities and at the national level.
Therefore, he said the chamber was focused on supporting the government to address the current economic challenges.
“We believe that together, the government and industry can collaborate to develop a more sustainable and economically viable mining sector,” he said.
Industry reputation
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of UMat, Prof. Kwasi Amankwah, said the GMIA was an event that recognised individuals and companies for their unique achievements in Ghana’s mining industry.
He said as the global business landscape was drifting towards companies that were implementing Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) principles in their operations, recognition at the GMIA could boost the corporate image and enhance reputation.
He urged all to join in sustaining the GMIA as it presented industry players with the needed measuring scale to measure the sustainable performance of the industry operators in Ghana.
For his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Sulemanu Koney, congratulated all companies and individuals on their laurels.
He said the country’s economy was going through a difficult period that required duty-bearers to deploy the relevant tools of the state to surmount these challenges.
He said the recent overtures, as well as policy initiatives of the government, underscored the fact that it intended to leverage the country’s gold resources to catalyse the recovery of the economy.
“Whilst the Ghana Chamber of Mines and its member companies will continue to be ardent partners in the development of our country, we urge duty bearers to engage the industry more deeply ahead of policy tweaks as well as the introduction of new policies that affect the industry,” he said.
Winners
Asanko Gold Mine won the Mining Company of the year while AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine received the Corporate Social Investment Project of the Year.
The Mining Personality of the Year went to Daniel Egya-Mensah.
Irene Aboagye-Akari was adjudged the Best Female Miner of the Year (Non-Technical) category, while Shirley Oteng-Seifah received the Best Female Miner of the Year (Technical).
Alfred Chinbuah received the Lifetime Achievement award while Gold Fields Ghana-Tarkwa Mine annexed the Best Performer in Occupational Health and Safety.
Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd- Ahafo Mine won the Best Performer in Innovation; Best Performer in Environmental Management and Best Green Mine.
Ramoth Services Limited won the Best Performer in Contract Mining; Interplast Ghana Ltd received the Best Performer in Local Manufacturing of Mine Inputs; Zen Petroleum Limited won the Best Performer in Mine Supplies and Support Services and Newmont Golden Ridge Ltd Akyem Mine won the Best Mining Company in Diversity and Inclusion.
