Accra, Ghana, October 5, 2020//-Ghana’s Minerals Commission is seeking to rewrite the narratives of the country’s mining with a new paradigm, aiming at building the capacity of journalists on the sector.
To this end, some selected journalists including four members of the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists (IFEJ) were taken through a two-day residential workshop in Accra on the mining sector.
In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission, Addae Antwi-Boasiako, entreated the journalists to help the commission change the narrative of the sector.
He reminded the journalists to carry out thorough investigations into activities of the sector which is so crucial to the socio-economic development of the country.
He said: “During this covid-19 time if we were not exporting minerals especially gold, I don’t know where we would have been. So, I’m looking forward to you to have a different mindset towards mining”.
Workshop in session
Mr Antwi-Boasiako continued: “I’m not saying you should sing our praises but you tell the story in a position of broader understanding of what mining is about. I want you to be able to see me on the street and say today we are doing a good job”.
“I like you to also be very objective in pointing out to us our challenges beyond politics. I want you to tell the world that because of the rise in gold price at the world market, Ghana is going to earn between .5% and 1% extra income”.
After the media engagement of the Commission’s legal and regulations frameworks, the media practitioners would have the chance to have objective and balance views of the minerals and mining activities in the country, according to him.
The journalists should tell the compelling stories to the general public about how the real or actual mining activities are done in the mine sites.
Mr Antwi-Boasiako was hopeful that after the workshop the journalists should be able to write stories to recommend policies for the sector regular, mining companies, and the government.
He was quick to add that; “I want the journalists to also tell me about why the chiefs in the various mining affecting communities should not be supporting the illegal small scale mining activities know as the galamsey operations”.
Furthermore, Mr Antwi-Boasiako noted that plans were underway by the Commission to take some selected journalists to the mine sites to see how mining is done.
“We are deciding to take journalists on the tour to the various mining sites because we have realised that many journalists who report about mining activities or issues do not even know where the mines are or how the mining activity itself is done in the mine sites,” he stated.
Mr Antwi-Boasiako who is a strong advocate of responsible mining, expressed displeasure about the huge destruction caused to the water bodies, forest reserves and environment by some recalcitrant illegal miners in the country.
He therefore called on the various traditional authorities, civil society organizations (CSOs) and the media to help protect the destruction of the river bodies and forest reserves from the nefarious of illegal miners.
Senior officials of the Commission took the participants who were mainly through topics such as: overview of the Minerals Commission Act 1994 (Act 450); types of Minerals Rights and Licensing Acquisition Procedure; Mining Life Cycle (stages of mining) and Statutory Reporting; Small Scale Mining in Ghana/ Community Mining Scheme; Act 995-Offences under the Minerals and Mining Act 703; Support Services/ Local Content; Fiscal Regime in Ghana; and Compensation and Settlement.
Each of these topics will be divulged into in the coming days.
Instructively, the Minerals Commission is a body established with a focused function of developing and coordinating mineral sector policy and monitoring its implementation.
It was established in September 1986 under the Minerals Commission Law (PNDCL.154).
The Commission’s primary responsible has since been that of fostering the efficient and effective regulation and management of the utilization of the mineral resources such as gold, manganese, diamond, bauxite and other precious minerals of Ghana and the co-ordination and implementation of policies related to them.
With the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution, Parliament enacted the Minerals Commission Act, 1993 (Act 450) to give continued legal backing to the existence of the Commission, as required by Article 269(1) of the Constitution.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report
