The Ghana Chamber of Mines is worried about what it describes as the existing disconnect between the country's local economy and the mining sector.
Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Sulemanu Koney said stakeholders in government and the mining sector in Ghana must be thinking of how to reposition the prospects of the two sectors.
He said they must consistently underscore exactly what the gains of the mining sector can do or add to the local economy to blossom.
His observation was that over the years, successive governments had viewed the sector as a cash cow, and therefore have not been able to take full advantage of its prospects in shoring up the local economy.
Mr Koney wondered what happened usually after governments collected the financial receipts of the mining sector?
According to the mining guru, there was more to the subject of mining than just the collection of monies (proceeds and taxing) from mining companies.
Speaking in an interview with reporters in Takoradi recently, the CEO of the umbrella body of mining companies, suggested that government of Ghana must begin to look at the value chain of the economy and create the necessary synergies with the mining sector in order to maximize gains.
“There should be direct creation of business activities to link the mining sector with the critical sectors of the local economy,” he said.
This ,he argued would not only improve revenue generation for government, but would succeed in expanding both sectors and creating the necessary jobs for the teaming unemployed youth in the country.
Currently, there are many mining companies operating in Ghana, with particular interest vested in Western, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions.
Unfortunately, all the major communities where these mining activities are carried out, have remained relatively poor and under developed.
Consequently, critics of the mining industry have been campaigning against the exploitation of the natural resources against the level of poverty being witnessed in the resource rich mining zones.
This argument therefore necessitated the warning and proposal by the Chamber of Mines that there should be organisational linkage between the country's economy and the mining sector.
The Chamber believes, it would create the synergy required to boost revenue mobilisation, production job creation from both the mining sector and the local economy.
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