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Tarkwa: UMaT to commence model Small Scale Mining

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By Desmond Cudjoe

The University of Mines and Technology, UMaT at Tarkwa has acquired land to begin a model Small Scale Mining project.

Besides, serving as an income generation opportunity, it would also provide for all year field work for mining students.

The University of Mines and Technology, UMaT is Ghana and Africa’s leading Institution for the training of world-class professionals in the field of mining, petroleum, technology, and related disciplines. It played a key role in training small-scale miners for the government’s Community Mining Scheme after the ban on illegal mining.

UMaT is however challenged in terms of resources as well as the opportunity of placing its mining and other engineering students on the field for internships.

It therefore appealed to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to make lands available, for it to explore and generate geological data and mineralized concessions for licensing to Small-Scale Miners. The Ministry responded favourably and gave UMaT a four kilometre square and resources to conduct exploration, while the Minerals Commission has also released two 25 acre parcels of land to the University for it to begin the UMaT Small-scale Mining.

The Vice Chancellor of UMaT, Professor Richard Akwasi Amankwa speaking at the 13th Congregation of the University said it is a great opportunity to contribute to the President’s agenda on responsible Small-Scale Mining.

“The land will be developed into a model Small-Scale Mine to generate spaces for all year-round field work for students”.

“It will solve the perennial challenge of looking for spaces for student internship and also train Small-Scale Miners on best practices and also serve as a source for Internally Generated Funds”.

A Deputy Minister of Education, John Ntim Fordjour appealed to the Universities to buy into the digitalization agenda in line with global technological advancement, as was manifested by UMaT during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic through virtual lectures.

On infrastructural challenges, Mr. Fordjour said they are being addressed.

“Government is committed to the five million Ghana cedi a year it pledged to the University for the next five years to address infrastructural issues of the university”, he posited.

Meanwhile, UMaT will this academic year introduce the Project-Based Gifted and Talented Education and two of such students have been identified.

One is a JHS dropout in Tarkwa who has developed a drone using PVC Pipes and controls it with the remote of a play station and his phone.

The second is a boy from Sunyani who has developed Keyless Safes and wardrobes. These two will be given Scholarships to start the hands-on Certificate programmes, which have a pipeline to other degree programmes.

 

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