Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, is leading a delegation made up of government officials and individuals from the private sector, to attend the 25th China Mining Conference and Exhibition, to be held in Tianjin, China, from 26th-28th October, 2023.
Since its inception in 1999, the Conference, which brings together governments, investors and other industry players, has become one of the foremost and influential mining forums across the globe.
This year, more than 10,000 delegates and 400 exhibitors are expected to attend the Conference, which is being held under the theme; ‘Innovation Promotes High Quality Development of Mining’.
Ahead of the Conference, Mr Jinapor will, today, Tuesday October 24, 2023, meet with some selected mining investors to make a pitch for investment in Ghana’s mining industry.
Additionally, the lands minister will visit the operational sites and meet with the Senior leadership of some of the Chinese mining companies with interest in Ghana.
This includes the Shandong Gold Group, operators of the Cardinal Namdini Project, Chifeng Jilong, owners of Golden Star Resources, and Tianyuan Manganese Industry Group, operators of Ghana Manganese Ltd.
On Thursday, October 26, Mr Jinapor will join the Chinese Minister for Natural Resources, H.E Mr. Wang Guang Hua, and the Chairman of the China Mining Association and organizers of the Conference, for the formal opening of the conference.
Furthermore, he will participate in a Minister to Minister Forum, where he will speak on developments in the Ghanaian mining industry, especially as it relates to green minerals.
At the Country Promotion Session on Friday, Mr Jinapor will speak on the theme; ‘Leveraging Over a Century of Mining to Enhance Value Addition For The Development of Ghana’, where he will make a case for increased investment in the value chain of the mining industry in Ghana, particularly value addition.
Promotion of mining relations with China
This is the first time the Conference is being held fully in-person since the pandemic, and Ghana is taking advantage of it to promote her mining industry to support the country’s recovery.
Other members of the delegation include the Board Chairperson and the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), and members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy.
In May this year, management of a Chinese mining firm, Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited, subsidiary of Shandong Gold, which Mr Jinapor will be visiting, expressed the company’s commitment to engaging in responsible ecological mining to benefit the people and the governments of Ghana and China.
Mr Zhenjiang Tang, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited, noted that the company was investing heavily in its mining infrastructure to build the biggest mining industry in Ghana and one of the biggest in Africa, which would benefit the governments of Ghana and China equally.
He further explained that the company was guided by the mining laws and regulations of Ghana and was committed to ensuring its operations did not destroy the environment, the communities and nation in general.
The visit was to get first-hand information on the operations of the company and their impact on the surrounding communities.
The Cardinal Namdini Mining Ltd, through Shandong Gold, acquired mining concessions to engage in surface mining for a period of 15 years at Digaare (Accra site) and Biung in the Talensi District.
These areas are green fields and expected to generate 150 million tonnes of ore to give five million ounces of gold within the 15 years.
Currently, the company is investing about $520 million to construct its infrastructure base, including operational offices and staff accommodation, processing plants, and tailings storage facilities, to allow for full mining operations to begin in 2024.
READ ALSO: Private Sector Dangles On Taxman’s Noose, Gasps For Reliefs
