The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel A. Jinapor, has charged the Ghana Chamber of Mines to take up lead roles in the fight against illegal mining even as government takes all the necessary measures to come to grips with this menace.
He said apart from its negative environmental impacts, illegal mining, also, affects their operations and indeed, their employees.
He also called on the Chamber to join hands with government and the Ministry to build a viable and sustainable mining industry which would go a long way to benefit the Ghanaian economy and people.
Mr Jinapor made the call in the keynote address when he joined the Ghana Chamber of Mines in Obuasi on yesterday at the 5th Human Resource Conference on the theme; “Transforming People Management for a Sustainable Mining Industry in Ghana”.
The Minister applauded the efforts of the Chamber since its establishment on 6th June, 1928, saying” the Ghana Chamber of Mines has continued to play a critical role in the exploitation and management of our natural resources, and this Conference, which brings together Human Resource professionals to deliberate on issues of human capital within the mining industry, is yet another testament of your commitment to efficient exploitation of our natural resources”
He added that government considered the Ghana Chamber of Mines as a true partner and intends to continue to collaborate closely with it, in moving the all-important mining industry forward.
Addressing the Managers, the Lands Minister said despite the unprecedented developments in science and technology, which is revolutionising the way people live and work, “human capital remains crucial to the success of every industry” and therefore the need for Human Resources Professionals to attract and retain new talent to meet the industry’s future demands.
He asserted that building a sustainable mining industry requires that managers incorporate into every aspect of the industry, Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Principles, which have become the basic standards, globally, for regulating and evaluating institutional performance based on environmental responsibility, social welfare and economic growth.
The Managing Director for Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine and Chairman of the Event, Dr. Eric Asubonteng in his address said if Ghana could achieve the targeted aim of becoming the mining hub of Africa, then stakeholders must take deliberate steps to beef up the workforce. “in the Ghana Mining industry, if we are truly going to realise the vision we have set for ourselves to make Ghana the Mining hub of West Africa and Africa as a whole, then we must be deliberate about nurturing the workforce skilled in the required practical and modern mining methods”
He tabled a number of challenges the mine had faced since the last Human Resource Conference noting that to address these challenges, all stakeholders needed to be proactive in strategies and from an HR perspective, strengthen the employer value proposition.
Dr Asubonteng said their vision as a Mine to is to be a safe and viable tier one asset that is at peace with it’s stakeholders, adding that this vision cannot be realised without the right human resource management wing and also assured that their organisation remains focused on “turning this world class ore body into a world class value”
Appreciating the need and importance of the conference Mr. Sulemanu Koney, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines said there is the need for the Human Resource Managers to constantly update themselves to do better at their jobs and meet up with the competition and world standards
