The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines, Mr George Mireku Duker, has urged mining companies to outsource some of their production activities to indigenes of the communities they operate.
The Minister made the call when he met the executives of the Ghana Mines Workers Union on Monday to discuss ways the two institutions (the Chamber and the Ministry) could collaborate to build a more robust mining sector.
Mr Duker noted that the government was pressing mining companies to implement local content policies that benefit indigenes to ameliorate the impact of mining on local economic activities and also create employment for the youth.
“We wouldn’t want a situation where the mine or the concessionaire will elapse their mining life and get away without giving the hard-working Ghanaians what they are due and this is what we want to frown on,” he stressed.
He said the government wants to ensures mining companies do the right thing to achieve their financial goals and create the enabling environment for the communities to develop.
Mr Duker acknowledged the challenges tabled by the workers union and commended them for addressing their grievance appropriately through the right quarters.
He assured the executives of the union that the Ministry would continue to engage the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Union to coordinate and bridge all gaps.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
