The Ghana Chamber of Mines on Friday, 14 November, 2025, cut sod for the construction of a $1,257,193.47 state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, and Materials Testing Laboratory at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), marking a major step in positioning Ghana as a hub for mining innovation, research, and advanced skills development in West Africa.
The project, fully funded by the Chamber’s Tertiary Education Fund (TEF), is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen the partnership between industry and academia, modernise mining education, and develop the next generation of high-tech professionals for Ghana’s extractive sector.
Speaking at the event, Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, described the laboratory as “a strategic investment in Ghana’s future,” emphasising that the facility is not merely an infrastructure project but a catalyst for transforming how mining is taught, practised, and industrialised in the country.
“This state-of-the-art facility represents yet another milestone in our journey to strengthen the partnership between industry and academia,” he said, adding that sustainability and responsible mining remain at the heart of the Chamber’s mandate.
He highlighted the mining sector’s significant contributions to Ghana’s economy, including GH₵17.7 billion in fiscal payments in 2024, an increase of 51.2% over the previous year, and a 76.7% rise in mineral royalties.
Ing. Ashigbey noted that the facility will allow Ghana to shift from a “buy local” to a “make local, innovate local, and certify local” industrial strategy.
Through advanced materials testing services, the centre will equip local manufacturers with the data, certification, and research and development support required to produce mining inputs domestically, ultimately boosting local content, job creation, and economic diversification.
Ing. Ashigbey described the expected transformation as a paradigm shift: from reactive to predictive mining operations; from isolated to integrated data-driven systems; and from human-driven to human-guided mining processes.
He added that the partnership between academia and industry would help position UMaT as a “central pillar of national industrial and economic development,” with benefits extending beyond mining into petroleum, manufacturing, and construction.
“Together, let us continue to mine responsibly, innovate boldly, and build sustainably,” Ing. Ashigbey noted.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the Tertiary Education Fund, Fred Attakumah, Chair of TEF, said the project builds on significant achievements under the Fund’s first phase from 2019 to 2024.
He outlined TEF’s measurable impact over the five years:
$1.3 million invested in educational infrastructure, including UMaT
facilities;
170 undergraduate students supported with bursaries;
25 lecturers awarded research grants;
24 postgraduate students funded to conduct mineral engineering research;
78 students placed in hands-on industrial attachments;
Expanded digital learning through SMART classroom boards and e-learning
systems.
“These achievements demonstrate the tangible outcomes of collaboration between
industry and academia,” he said, affirming the Chamber’s continued commitment to
supporting UMaT with scholarships, research funding, and capacity development initiatives.
Mr Attakumah added that the new AI and Robotics Laboratory is designed to “nurture a new breed of professionals” equipped to master automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, and data analytics—technologies that are redefining modern mining globally.
Both speakers emphasised that the centre will enhance Ghana’s ability to tackle issues such as mine safety, environmental protection, predictive maintenance, automated operations, and value-added manufacturing.
The laboratory will support innovation across exploration, drilling, haulage, ore processing, and safety monitoring. It will also enable local companies to test and certify materials in-country, reducing reliance on costly foreign laboratories.
Mr Attakumah challenged students and researchers at UMaT to leverage the new laboratory to develop home-grown, practical solutions to challenges such as illegal mining (galamsey), environmental degradation, and community relations.
The sod-cutting ceremony marks the beginning of what the Chamber envisions as a transformative journey, one that strengthens human capital, accelerates industrialisation, and positions Ghana as a leader in mining technology and sustainable development.
