The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, has called on Gold Fields Ghana Limited and other large-scale mining companies to partner with the government in building Ghana into a viable mining hub in Africa.
The Minister, who said this during a working visit to Gold Fields Tarkwa Mine, explained that by building Ghana into a mining hub in Africa, President Akufo-Addo’s vision is to ensure that all the components of the value chain exist in the country.
He said the government cannot achieve this feat without the partnership and cooperation of mining companies such as the Gold Fields, and therefore called for stronger collaborations.
“I am here to extend a hand of partnership. Let us work together to build the mining industry in Ghana. Let us be partners, let us cooperate. We don’t have to operate on the basis of adversaries but rather on the basis of partnership.”
“We are the regulators, you are the operators. At the end of the day, we need each other to build that mining industry, and I as your Minister, am fully committed to working with Gold Fields to build the company into the biggest mining industry in the world, not just Africa”, he continued.
Samuel Abu Jinapor used the working visit to learn about Gold Fields’ operations, inspected some development projects at the mine, and also interacted with the management and staff of the company.
He assured that the government is committed to playing its role in creating a conducive environment that will enable Gold Fields and other mining companies to thrive in Ghana and invest more.
He also applauded the company for their generous donation of $1 million to the Appiate Support Fund aimed at complementing the government’s efforts to rebuild the Appiate community. He also commended Gold Fields for working tirelessly to ensure that the Mine is always safe.
While congratulating Gold Fields on their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, particularly the construction of road networks in Tarkwa and Damang, the Lands and Natural Resources Minister reminded them of the President’s plea for them to work on other roads in the Tarkwa enclave.
The General Manager of the Tarkwa Gold Fields Mine, Stephen Osei-Bempah, speaking on the back of the Appiate explosion incident during a presentation, said Gold Fields has always ensured that its explosives only become viable to be used as explosives on the mine.
On injuries, the General Manager said Gold Fields has been able to reduce injuries from 69 to 5 between 2010 and 2021, adding that the company is working hard towards achieving zero harm on all sites.
On Corporate Social Responsibility, Stephen Osei-Bempah said Gold Fields Tarkwa mine has supported local companies like Western Tranpo Service and ZEN to become international mining services providers and continue to support the educational, sports, and health sectors with infrastructural resources including the $16.2 million Tarkwa sports stadium rehabilitation which will have 10,400 capacity upon completion.
The working visit of the Minister also saw him being taken on a brief tour of the Tarkwa Mine, mainly the Gold Room, where Gold is smelted and poured.
Gold Fields Ghana Limited is one of the biggest gold mines in Africa and the biggest in Ghana with 9 operating Mines and one project in Australia, Chile, Peru, and South Africa.