Ghana hosts workshop on low-valued minerals

A four-day capacity building programme to share ideas and experiences in the management of low value minerals within the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACEP) Group of States has opened in Accra.

Limestone, granite, sand, salt, and clay are among low value minerals, which are very useful in the building of infrastructural projects in most countries.

However, because their values are not as high as gold, bauxite, manganese and other precious minerals, they are given less attention in society, leaving their productions to people with little or no expertise to manage.

Dubbed: “The Regional Training Workshop on Environment, Community, Health and Safety”, it was attended by participants from ACEP countries to equip them with the knowledge and skills in harnessing the low value minerals.

The training workshop fall under the three-year ACEP-European Union (EU) Development Minerals Programme that has a 13.1 million Euro Capacity Building Programme.

It is aimed at building the profile and improving the management of neglected development minerals, which include industrial minerals, construction materials, dimension stones, and semi-precious stones.

That programme is an initiative of the ACEP Group of States, financed by the EU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is also implementing it.

Mr William Baidoo-Ansah, a Representative of the ECOWAS Commission, said the initiative should be able to help harness potentials from such resources to build the countries.

He expressed the hope that the training workshop would help deepen the understanding in the management of the resources.

Mr Jan van der Ploeg, the Representative of the EU, said the world saw Africa as an important player in minerals production and development and that was why the initiative was introduced to help sustain that sector.

He said neglecting the development of the minerals had closer link with the local economy, because they had the potential to generate more local jobs thus reducing poverty.

Mr Mulugeta Adebe, the Acting Country Director of UNDP, said the ACEP–EU Initiative was being implemented at both the regional and country levels, saying, at the regional level the programme involved training workshops, field trips, the production of guidance products and knowledge sharing.

He said the aim of the capacity building activities was to increase the sectors’ productivity, better manage mining operations and adhere to national and international environmental and health standards, while preventing conflict through effective community relations.

Nii Osah Mills, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, said Africa, particularly, West Africa, played a significant role in the production of mineral resources with Guinea, Mali, Ghana and many others leading in the production of the various resources.

He said since such low value minerals helped in the production of various infrastructure, in the areas of transportation, energy and others, many countries were working to ensure that they were properly mined and managed for their benefits.