The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources responsible for Mining, Mireku Duker, on Friday, 18th August 2023, embarked on a working visit to the Akroma Gold Mining Company in the Kwahu West Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The visit was, among other things, aimed at familiarising himself with the operations of the company, and identifying areas where improvement was necessary.
During the tour, Mireku Duker spotted a number of infractions that required immediate attention and directed the management of the company to take immediate steps to address the issues.
He emphasised the need for the company to embark on developmental projects to improve relations between them and the host communities, whiles touching on local content representation in the company.
He reiterated the need for mining companies in the country to increase the number of Ghanaian staff in their human resource base in line with the relevant regulations.
He gave them 90 days to address the various infractions, indicating his readiness to impose sanctions on the company if they fail to adhere to the directives.
The Deputy Minister also called on them to take steps to improve its relationship with the Municipal Assembly as they were key stakeholders in the mineral right administration, and assured them of the Ministry’s support in addressing issues of illegal mining in their concession.
The Mines Manager of Akroma Gold Company Limited, Mr. Samuel Teye Agyemang, assured the Deputy Minister that concerns raised would be addressed expeditiously, and reaffirmed their commitment to contributing to the development of the various communities within its operational area.
