A group photo taken after the meeting
The Republic of Sudan is working towards obtaining the necessary experience and expertise in Ghana to aid mining operations.
The Sudanese Minister for Minerals, Mohammed Basheer Abdalla Mqennawi, who is on a four-day official visit, said Ghana is far ahead of Sudan in the area of mining hence the urgent need for his country to tap into the rich experiences including the legal regime and policy interventions for the benefit of Sudan.
Speaking at the University of Mines and Technology UMaT in Tarkwa today, August 18, Mr Abdalla Mennnawi, said, Sudan looks forward for fruitful cooperation on education, Mining and Natural Resources between the two countries and commended the government of Ghana for the efforts made so far in streamlining the mining sector especially the Artisanal small scale mining (ASM).
He also called for exchange programmes among Universities of both countries, particularly in mining and Mineral processing.
The Hon. Deputy Minister for Lands Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker, who led the delegation to Tarkwa, said the Government, through the Ministry, is ready to assist in the enrollment of Sudan students in UmaT for them to acquire knowledge on the sector.
He commended UmaT for contributing immensely to Ghana’s mining architecture and said Sudan has a well-established geological industry saying the collaboration between the two nations is a ” Win-Win”.
The Vice-Chancellor of UmaT, Prof. Richard Kwesi Amankwah in a presentation touched on Ghana’s adoption of a Mercury-free process in extracting gold via the use of Soda Ash among others.
Prof. Amankwah also announced plans by the University to educate the public on what he termed “Do it Right”, a guide aimed at promoting sustainable ASM.
At Anglogold Iduaprim mine in Tarkwa, the Managing Director, Samuel Boakye Pobee, said, the company has invested US$150million to preserve the life of the mine as well as making safety at the mine the number one priority (zero harm).
Environmental management, he said, is fundamental to their operations saying rehabilitation of the mine can always be done safely.
“We are committed to the community we operate and we see them as partners” he concluded.