Chamber Launches Awards Scheme For Miners

Johan Ferreira
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has launched a special awards scheme dubbed, 'Ghana Mining Industry Awards' for players in the country's mining sector.

The awards scheme, which is said to be the first of its kind in the country, seeks to recognize and honour individuals and companies who have made tremendous contributions to the growth of mining sector in Ghana.

Expected to be organized in November each year, the awards would recognize excellence in environmental management, health and safety, engineering and mining and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

At the officially launch of the awards, which coincided with the annual end-of-year cocktail party of the Chamber of Mines held at the forecourt of Adamus Resources Limited last Friday in Accra, Johan Ferreira, President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, said the awards would recognize companies and individuals who are playing significant roles in the development of the mining industry.

According to him, it would go a long way to promote excellence within the industry and improve the image of the mining sector.

Mr. Ferreira noted that falling gold price on the market, intermittent power supply and high cost of petroleum product, coupled with unstable currency, had affected the operations of the operators in the industry.

He described 2014 as “a year of adverse fortune,” indicating that the revenues of most mining companies had been seriously affected.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chamber, Sulemanu Koney, in a speech, disclosed that the mining sector has contributed enormously to the Ghana Revenue Authority's direct tax collections in the past five years but the industry was facing serious challenges.

Touching on ways to surmount the challenges confronting the sector, he called for the leveraging of the industry in a more creative way to help the country attain upper middle-income status in the near future.

BY Melvin Tarlue