George Mireku Duker, Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources
A Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources responsible for Mines, George Mireku Duker, has called on the various mining companies in the country to deepen their local content policy in favour of indigenes of the communities they operate in.
Mr Mireku-Duker made the call when he engaged the executives of the Ghana Mines Workers Union at a brief meeting on Monday. The meeting was aimed at discussing ways of collaborating with the Ministry to build a more robust mining sector.
He disclosed that government had been on these companies to roll out local content polices to favour the indigenes of the various communities in which they operate.
The Deputy Minister stressed that government will not relent on ensuring that mining companies do the right thing.
“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. This is what we want to frown on. These mining companies make profit in their venture, they must do so collaboratively and also link whatsoever gains they make with their entire workforce. This is the “right thing” the Ministry and government expects from the various mining companies,” he emphasised.
Local content
The Deputy Minster further explained that local content is not only about welfare but making available part of their concessions to the Ghanaian workers by outsourcing some of their production activities, and technological advancements.
He acknowledged the challenges tabled by the workers’ union, commending them for addressing their grievance appropriately through the right quarters.
He assured the executives that the Ministry will continue to engage the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Union to coordinate and bridge all the gabs, saying “we will ensure we dot all the “Is” and cross all the “Ts”.
In response to the issues raised by the Deputy Minister on incentives to motivate miners, the Chairman of the Ghana Mines Workers Union, Kwarku Mensah Gyakari, said all miners in the big mining companies including Newmont Ghana worked on fixed term contract.
“This means miners leave after two years. When we enquired from Newmont Ghana and we were told that the laws of Ghana allow it and they have no option to do so,” he added.
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