Chief applauds President Akufo-Addo

A Divisional Chief of the Prestea-Himan Traditional Area, Nana Nteboah Prah IV, has lauded the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for the bold decision to revamp the Prestea Sankofa Gold Limited (PSGL).

He said he was particularly happy about the appointment of a new management team for the company, as well as the payment of the arrears of salaries of workers of the mine.

Nana Prah IV made the commendation when the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mrs Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, paid a courtesy call on the chief and his elders at his palace as part of her one-day visit to three communities – Himan, Ankobra and Enyinam - in the Prestea Huni-Valley Constituency of the Western Region.

The deputy minister’s visit was also to update the chiefs and people of the communities she toured on development projects taking place in the area.

Support

Nana Prah IV also pledged his support for the government to ensure the realisation of the decision to revamp the PSGL which had ceased operations for about two years.

“We want the company to be revamped once and for all. We don't want the situation where it is operational for a period, only to shut down after some time,” he said.

He suggested that the name of the mine should be changed to Himan Mines Ghana Limited so that the spirit of the stool on whose land the mine sat would continuously prevent the company’s collapse.

Small-scale mining

Mrs Oteng-Gyasi said the President would soon lift the ban on small-scale mining as a road map to sanitise the sector had been completed.

She explained that the government had to put a ban on small-scale mining and illegal mining (galamsey) to stop the destruction of the environment in order to protect human lives.

“Be assured that the President has your best interest at heart. Measures have been put in place, including the Multisectoral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP), and very soon the ban will be lifted,” she added.  

Education

On education, Mrs Oteng-Gyasi said the government had fulfilled its promise of making secondary education free, adding that since the introduction of the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy, the number of students who enrolled in SHSs had increased and was expected to double this year, which was an indication that there was a great number of students who could not afford secondary education and were now being catered for under the policy.

She said together with the Municipal Assembly, they had donated over 2,000 dual desks to schools in the municipality.

“We have also started the construction of classroom blocks at the Prestea SHS and will also complete the construction of the Prestea Presbyterian JHS classroom block which has been under construction for years,” she added.

Roads

The deputy minister said the Huni-Valley-Bogoso, Bogoso-Prestea and the Prestea town roads, as well as the Himan town roads would be awarded on contract in phases to ease the movement of goods and people in the area.

She indicated that the government was committed to improving the state of roads in the Western Region.

In her entourage were the MCE, Mr Mozart K. Owuh, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman of Prestea Huni-Valley, Mr Abiam K. Danso, and other officials.