Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has made a compelling case for the Chinese government and businesses to collaborate with Ghana in the strategic and sustainable exploitation of its green mineral resources.
Delivering the keynote address at the China-Ghana Resources Innovation Roundtable on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, Samuel Abu Jinapor, outlined the features of Ghana’s green mineral policy that make it the most viable avenue for investment by Chinese investors.
According to him, the ultimate aim of government is to ensure that both the Ghanaian public and businesses benefit equitably from the country’s rich resources and that a robust and supportive climate has been created by the government for investment and businesses to thrive.
He emphasized the potential for a substantial increase in revenue and additional benefits for Chinese companies to extend and diversify their investments in Ghana’s budding green mineral industry.
He also appealed to the Chinese companies and investors to make the strategic decision to invest in green mineral resources such as lithium, iron and industrial minerals including salt as its benefits and returns are most certainly guaranteed.
“Our policy is geared towards effective exploitation, value addition, environmental protection, local content and participation and effective utilization of our mineral resources for the benefit of Ghanaians and investors alike”, he noted.
“It is for this reason that we’ve established GIADEC, GIISDEC to promote and develop integrated iron and aluminium industries in Ghana. We have also strengthened the MIIF to manage and maximize the value of mineral income accruing to the state”, he added
“The government of Ghana is ready to partner with investors, particularly those from China to add value to our mineral resources with the ultimate goal of ensuring, efficient, effective and managed exploitation of our natural resources for the benefit of our people while ensuring optimal returns for the investors. As the only country to build an end-to-end lithium battery industry, the government of the People’s Republic of China and Chinese investors must be our natural partners in this endeavour.
Highlighting significantly impressive contributions of Ghana’s mining sector to the country’s economy, the Minister noted that the sector contributes 16% of the total revenue generated by the government of Ghana and also forms 7.9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Adding to these impressive numbers which have the potential of rising astronomically through an effective Ghana-China collaboration, is the historically rich bilateral relations between Ghana and China as well as the success stories of Chinese companies in Ghana, particularly the mining sector, Hon. Jinapor indicated.
Abu Jinapor reckons the aforementioned reasons should stimulate the interest of the Chinese government and businesses in joining forces with Ghana which is Africa’s leading producer of gold to become powerhouses of mining in the world.
Lu Kun, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana reiterated the commitment of his country to working with Ghana to exploit its resources in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
Lu Kun noted the progress made by the government in the mining sector and assured the Chinese government will continue to facilitate the effective partnership between Ghana and his country.
He mentioned the Bui Dam project and Western Corridor as examples of impactful and innovative cooperation between Ghana and China.
On his part, Mr. Li Yaohong, the Commercial Counselor at the Ghana Embassy disclosed that China has many world-class mining companies that have a strong interest in Ghana’s mining industry.
“If the operations of these companies in Ghana are successful, it will undoubtedly encourage more powerful Chinese companies especially some large mining giants to make investments in Ghana’s mining industry, the economic and trade cooperation between China and Ghana to be further improved “, he added.
EK
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