Minerals Commission inaugurates new Regional Office in Kumasi

The Minerals Commission has inaugurated a new regional office in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region in a bid to decentralise services and to bring their services closer to individuals and institutions who require them.

It comprises a seven-storey office block that will serve as the principal administrative and operational hub for the commission's regional activities and provide office accommodation for management, technical departments, client services, among others.

Additionally, there is a two-storey laboratory building that will complement the office block by providing specialised technical facilities for mineral testing, sample preparation, analysis, quality assurance and regulatory monitoring.

Similarly, inside the building is a museum and public education facility that would serve as a vital public engagement and educational platform as well as serve as a place to showcase Ghana's rich mineral endowment, mining history, geological features and responsible mining practices.

The new office will serve all areas within the middle belt, including the Bono and Ahafo regions.

Addressing the ceremony to inaugurate the office building last Monday, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Yusif Sulemana, said for over 40 years the services of the commission were centralised in Accra, the national capital. Review of Mining Act

As a result, he mentioned that the situation created significant inconveniences, compelling stakeholders nationwide to travel long distances to access regulatory services, and that the government had taken the initiative to ensure that regulatory mining activities were decentralised.

The front view of the new office.
Alhaji Sulemana, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi Constituency in the Savanna Region, said cabinet has endorsed a comprehensive review of the Mineral and Mining Act 2006, Act 703 and that one of the proposed reforms was the reduction of the maximum duration of mining leases from 30 years to 20 years.

“We are abolishing development agreements that shelve mining companies from certain taxes and levies.

We are replacing recognisance and prospecting licenses with a single exploration license capped at five years” he stated

In a speech read on his behalf, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, said overtime as the commission's responsibilities expanded and its workforce grew, it became clear that a modern facility was essential to keep pace with the growth.

“While we celebrate this achievement, we must recognise the duty of safeguarding this investment.

I urge everyone to treat it with the utmost care, discipline and stewardship it deserves” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Minerals Commission, Isaac A. Tandoh, said the commission believed that effective discharge of its core mandate of effective governance included the decentralisation of its operations.

He said “this why we have invested in strategic public infrastructural investments across the country to strengthen minerals governance, improve regional service delivery, expand laboratory capacity and enhance institutional visibility as well”.

For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, said the inauguration of the office building was a decisive shift towards bringing regulation to the doorsteps of the people.

In a welcome address, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, said the provision of the new office would enable the commission effectively deliver on its duties towards improving the sector.

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— Graphic Online