Felix Coffie
The Minerals Commission has developed a system to trace all gold produced in Ghana and exported. Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources George Mireku Duker who announced this at the inauguration of the Prestea Huni Valley Community Mining Committee said the traceability system put in place by the Minerals Commission will help to stop the smuggling of gold by miners to neighbouring countries.
Mr Mireku Duker noted that tracing in Ghana, from where Gold is sold is part of international best practices which also help to know the source of production. He said the main mandate of the Community Mining Committee is to ensure that Mining is done responsibly in accordance with the Minamata Convention. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an International Treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.
The Deputy Minister charged the Committee to ensure that Mining in the Communities are made attractive thereby creating Multinational Companies out of the Community Mining.
Mr. Duker also appealed to large-scale mining companies to cede part of their concessions to the communities for Community Mining.
The MCE for Prestea Huni Valley Dr. Isaac Dasmani said one major problem in the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality is that all their concessions have been given out to large-scale companies and the youth having no jobs. He said the Committee will through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources engage the large-scale Companies to cede part of their concessions to the Community.
