Government to support Mineral Refinery Industry

Government says it will pursue an aggressive policy to encourage and assist in the establishment of gold and other precious metal refineries to add value to the commodities. This is because Ghana for a long time has been exporting precious minerals such as gold, diamond and bauxite in their raw state and this has yielded minimally to the nation.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, stated this when he visited the premises of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company, PMMC, and Asap Vasap Company in Accra. Seth Eyiah reports.

The Managing Director of PMMC, Reuben Darko Damptey, led the Minister to the Jewellery workshop, and the showroom as well as the offices of some of the gold and diamond dealing companies located on the premises of PMMC.

Mr. Darkor Damptey said PMMC has regularly paid its dividered to government and that they are working on it adding value to the major precious minerals resources it deals. He asked the Minister to constitute a joint taskforce to oversee the Kimberly process Certification Scheme in Ghana and also liaise with the Foreign Affairs Minister to ensure that foreigners dealing or want to deal in gold and diamond first consult PMMC.

This is to avoid gold scamming which is destroying the name and image of Ghana, Mr. Darko Damptey appealed to the Lands and Natural Resources Minister to make more lands available for small scale mining to avoid diamond depression.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, who was obviously impressed with the activities of PMMC, stated that government will not resource it financially since the company is in a better position to attract investment. He said what government can only do is to guarantee loans for PMMC. He called for an effective collaboration and coordination between the Minerals Commission and PMMC in checking the activities of unlicensed.

A gold and diamonds dealers, galamsey operators, at the Asap Vasap Company in Mataheko, the Production Manager, Nana Ato Hope, took Alhaji Dauda through the processes of extracting and refining gold and silver. The electronitic process he said is environmentally friendly.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources advised gold and diamond refinery companies and dealers to be interested in the sours of the commodities they deal in so that they can establish fruitful relations with the producing communities. Alhaji Dauda said since gold is not a renewable natural resource, it must be protected for posterity.