The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, has concluded an official duty to China.
The official duty began with his participation in the China Mining Conference and Exhibition, where he used the platform to showcase Ghana as the mining investment destination on the African Continent.
Mr Jinapor and his delegation including the Board Chairperson of the Minerals Commission, Mrs Barbara Oteng Gyasi, Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Martin Ayisi, equally paid a working visit to the Head Office of Chifeng Gold Group, the parent entity of Golden Star Resources (Wassa), in Shanghai, China.
The Ghanaian delegation held an impactful meeting with the Senior leadership of the company, led by its Chairman, Mr. Wang Jianhua.
Golden Star Resources being a strategic mine for the government, with the capacity to produce some 1,000,0000 ounces of gold within six (6) years, the management of Chifeng Gold promised to scale up investment in the mine, including a US$30 million investment in drilling next year.
Ghana to leverage on resources for development
Following this, Mr Jinapor concluded his engagement with Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE), the biggest physical gold trading exchange in the world, and one of the largest exchanges globally, and held a meeting with its President, Mr. Wang Zhenying, and the top management of SGE.
During his visit to the SGE which coincided with the Exchange’s 21st Anniversary, the lands minister stated that as the leading producer of gold in Africa, Ghana is committed to leveraging on its resources for socio-economic development.
“Particularly, within the context of the Bank of Ghana’s domestic gold purchase programme, we are working to partner with SGE to ensure value addition.”
Samuel Jinapor
Furthermore, Mr Jinapor highlighted that the management of SGE has already agreed to visit Ghana shortly for government through his outfit and other relevant stakeholders to carry the partnership forward. This, he noted, is part of measures being implemented to realize the vision of President Akufo-Addo to make Ghana the mining hub of Africa.
“Under his outstanding leadership, we will continue to engage relevant stakeholders to build a mining industry that contributes, meaningfully, to our national economy.”
Samuel Jinapor
It will be recalled that during his opening remark in China on Friday, October 27, 2023, Mr Jinapor stated that the policy of the government for the development of the mining industry has been anchored on three main pillars, with the overarching goal of unleashing prosperity for the people, in an environment that is equitable to all stakeholders.
He highlighted the diversification of the country’s mineral resource base to exploit the range of minerals that can be responsibly and viably mined, including a number of critical minerals required for the green energy transition .
Moreover, Mr Jinapor stated that the Ghana Geological Survey Authority has conducted considerable geological investigations into these minerals, and data is available to assist investors in making investment decisions.
Particularly, the lands minister underscored that the Government of Ghana has identified the development of green minerals as a strategic metal development. Government, he explained, is therefore, seeking strategic partnerships with the private sector for the exploitation of these minerals.
To this end, he revealed that earlier this year, Cabinet approved a policy for the exploitation and management of these minerals which includes increased royalty, increased State and Ghanaian participation, and enhanced local content and local participation, including listing on the Ghana Stock Exchange, as well as value addition and beneficiation.
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