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The standard bearer of the Democratic National Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, says that Ghana has the capacity to handle only gold production issues in the country.
According to him, there are around 5 to 10 national subcontractors in the mining sector, which when employed, have the capacity to perform mining tasks that can compete with the performance of foreign companies.
“We didn’t have the technology or the knowledge of how to do mining back then as we do now. These companies execute all the processes involved in gold mining, while foreign companies only extract gold from minerals. They can operate a first-rate mine like foreigners do, ”he said.
In a live interaction with the online network Woezor TV, the former president mentioned that the NDC has plans to use the services of mining companies owned by Ghana to tap into the gold resources in the country.
“Mining by smallholders and others amounts to around 40 to 50 percent of the total gold that is exported and that is a product of great value, so the government must have an interest in it and take control of it. sector”. explained.
Addressing the issue of implementation, the NDC presidential candidate reiterated the establishment of a Gold Board, as included in the party’s 2020 campaign manifesto, which he says will help miners conduct proper mining.
“There is the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission, which are mainly normative and normative bodies. But there is no body that directly supervises the implementation of the regulations in the mining sector, ”he explained.
Mr. Mahama also argued that the Gold Board will be a source of employment for people with knowledge of mining, citing as an example graduate students from the Tarkwa University of Mines and Technology.
“We are going to rebuild the entire mining concession area, and make sure to identify and differentiate between small, medium and large miners,” he added.
He further said that the offices of the Gold Board will be located in the mining districts, which will be responsible for the supervision of mining activities within the district.
He announced that under the NDC, the Bank of Ghana will be tasked with storing a percentage of the gold produced in the national reserve.
