The Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Sulemanu Koney has stated that the mining industry in 2018 accounted for about 39 percent of Ghana’s Gross Foreign Exchange Receipt from total mineral revenues of 3.8 billion dollars.

Mr. Koney said the high performing mining sector in the last few years is attributable to the strong collaboration in health and safety matters across the mining industry as productivity is highly premised on safety adherence.

The Ghana Chamber of Mines’ CEO who was addressing the 2019 Zone-One Inter-Mines Safety and First Aid Competition at Tarkwa said the benefits from their commitment to safety issues go beyond the mining industry.

“The collaboration in health and safety competition is indicative of the enduring relationship that exists between our respective organizations and the benefit with such close collaborations have invariably impacted positively on the performance of the industry (mining) in recent years. In 2018, the mining sector accounted for about 39 percent of Gross Foreign Exchange Receipt in 2018, making it the country’s largest source of foreign earnings.”

“In nominal terms, the realized mineral revenues reported by the producing member companies of the Chamber was 3.8 billion dollars. Out of this realized revenue, they retained about 75 percent in the country. I am aware of the exceptional work the Central Planning Committee has put in to make this event into one that is nationally visible and impacting lives across the country. I commend the management and staff of Ghana Manganese for hosting the 2019 event in spite of their well-publicized challenges in recent times,” he said.

The 2019 Zone One Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition was organized by the Ghana Chamber of Mines in collaboration with the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission and Saint John Ambulance but hosted by the Ghana Manganese Company (GMC).

The Chief Operating Officer for GMC, Ben Atsu Quarshie said though the  competition is about promoting safety within mining sites and mining communities, it chose the theme; Life is Priceless, Drive Safely to put a spotlight on the huge cases of preventable accidents recorded across the country with huge cost to Ghana’s productivity.

“This competition is unique and gives the mining fraternity an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the safe work obligations as demanded by law and related regulations. It is also a demonstration of our commitment to the dictates of good corporate citizenship. What is more important is the opportunity to share our expertise with our stakeholders particularly through the community team involvement which aims at equipping participants to help prevent and manage all kinds of accidents and emergencies both on the mine and at home.”

“Our goal is to mine safely, create value for our stakeholders including our workers. Our overall corporate performance is a reflection of this evolving dynamism and commitment. The theme has come at the right time because of the increasing spate of accident and loss of precious accidents. It is estimated that Ghana loses over 230 million dollars yearly with more than 1,600 deaths,” he said.

The MCE for Tarkwa-Nsueam Municipality, Ken Gilbert Asmah said government on his part is working hard to rid the mining industry off illegal operators especially foreigners who have no respect for safety practices.

Four mines and their community teams namely Ghana Manganese Company Limited, Golden Star Wassa Mine, Newmont Goldcorp Akyem Mine and AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine participated in the 2019 Zone-one inter-mines Safety and First Aid competition.

After responding to safety and emergency situations with practical simulations, Ghana Manganese Limited which hosted the event, won the mines competition whiles Golden Star Wassa Mine won the Community teams’ contest and were presented with assorted electrical appliances.