The General Manager of Shandong Gold Group, the parent company of Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited, Mr. Hang Li, has assured the government of its commitment to construct an airport at Bolgatanga, and also pour first gold at the Namdini project in the Talensi District in the Upper East Region, before the end of next year.
According to him, the company’s strategic plan had always been to pour first gold by the fourth quarter of 2024, and its management in China was working with the team in Ghana to ensure that they delivered on this commitment.
The assurance came after the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, paid a working visit to the head office of Shandong Gold Group in Jinan, a city in the Shandong Province of China, where he urged the company to speed up work on the construction of the mine.
The Minister is in China at the invitation of China’s Minister for Natural Resources, Wang Guanghua, to participate in the 25th China Mining Conference and Exhibition, to be held in Tianjin, from 26th to 28th of October, 2023.
The Conference, said to be one of the largest mining events, brings together government’s investors and other industry players to discuss developments in the mining industry, including mining investment, green and innovative mining, as well as emerging practices in the industry.
Ahead of the Conference, the Minister called on the senior leadership of Shandong Gold Group on Wednesday, 25th October, 2023, to engage them on their operations in Ghana. The Company is the largest mining company in China and has been ranked among the top ten global gold enterprises for two consecutive years.
Its project in Ghana, the Cardinal Namdini project, is currently at the construction stage, following a relocation of affected communities last year. It is projected that the mine will produce some 1.1 million ounces of gold in the first three (3) years, becoming the third largest mine in the country.
Speaking at the high-level meeting, which had in attendance all the senior leadership of company, Mr. Li, who doubles as the Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party Committee, said the Cardinal Namdini project is a very important project for the company, adding that the company is committed to replicating its green mining practices in Ghana, to make the mine a model mine to serve as a reference point for the rest of Africa.
Mr. Li, also, said the company was engaging to construct an airport in Bolgatanga to ease transportation to and from the region. He said discussions are, already, underway with the relevant stakeholders, and hopefully, the project will come on stream.
On his part, Mr. Jinapor said Government was willing to provide all the support the company needs to ensure that gold is poured early enough next year. The Minister said the Namdini project is crucial for the country to maintain her position as the leading producer of gold on the continent.
He added that the impact the project will have on the economy of the northern part of the country, makes it imperative for the company to start production as soon as possible. He called on the management to give the necessary support to the team in Ghana to deliver on their promise.
Touching on the proposed airport at Bolgatanga, Mr. Jinapor said it will make the work of the company and the transportation of gold easy, and urged them to expedite action on it. He, again, called on the company to invest in other mining projects in the country, including investment in value addition, and work to become an example for Chinese investment in Ghana.
Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Dr. Winfred Hammond, who was with the Minister at the meeting, lauded the commitments made by the Company. He pledged the Embassy’s unflinching support to the Company to ensure that the first gold is poured next year at the Namdini mine.
The Minister was, also accompanied by the Chairperson of the Minerals Commission Board, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, Samuel Atta-Akyea, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Martin Ayisi.
