Government has tasked the newly sworn-in board members of the Ghana Geological Survey Authority to explore other minerals other than gold.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony today, Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Benito Owusu Bio called on the ten-member board to also come up with effective ways of managing the country’s natural disasters as well as create an innovative mineral resource map.
“The authority should explore other minerals other than gold to assist in the mineral diversification of the mining industry. They are also to carry out site or foundational investigations prior to major construction works or projects to reduce the impact on jail hazards and for effective land use planning,” he said.
The minister also charged the members to work to build the capacity of the Ghana Geological Survey Authority.
“I wish to ensure the training in all disciplines and to build the needed capacity to enable the authority to deliver on its mandate to become a world class geo scientific centre in Ghana,” he added.
As the debate for the government to ban all forms of small-scale mining rages on, many activists and civil society organisations in the mining sector have suggested that the government considers developing other minerals to mine apart from gold.
They say that, there are other equally economic viable minerals, such as Kaolin and shell banks in some of the coastal areas, which can be used in the cement factory. These can aid in the development of Ghana either than gold which has become the country’s main focus.
The Mining industry accounts for 5% of the country’s GDP and minerals make up 37% of total exports, of which gold contributes over 90% of the total mineral exports.
Ghana, Africa’s largest gold producer and major producer of bauxite, manganese and diamonds, has over twenty- three large-scale mining companies producing gold, diamonds, bauxite and manganese, and, over 300 registered small – scale mining groups.