Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned one hundred (100) mercury-free gold processing equipment, commonly referred to as Gold Katcha.
He commissioned the equipment at a ceremony held at the Independence Square, in Accra.
“As the name suggests, it is an equipment that extracts gold from the ore without the use of mercury, which has been the practice for several decades.
“This equipment, I am told, also has the capacity to recover over ninety percent (90%) of gold from the ore, and, therefore, give small scale miners much more gold than they would have obtained from the traditional method of using mercury,” Mr Akufo-Addo said.
He added “It is our intention to procure some three hundred (300) more of these equipment, under the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme, for use in the various communities where the Programme is being implemented.
” Our goal is to eliminate gradually, but as soon as possible, the use of mercury in small-scale mining, and help realise the objectives of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.”
