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Ghana, the ninth producer of gold and diamond in the world, is to host the first mining forum to be organised by the Economic Community of West African States to develop mining and oil resources in the region
BANGOURA Morlaye, the commissioner for Energy and Mines of the ECOWAS Commission, has called on West African citizens to participate actively in the first edition of the ECOWAS Forum/Exhibition on ECOWAS Mining and Oil, ECOMOF 2015, which will be held from 6 to 8 October 2015 in Accra, Ghana. The ECOMOF is aimed, among other things, to develop the Community’s mining and oil potentials, promote regional economic and social integration, develop artisanal and small-scale mining and organize geological, mining and oil database in ECOWAS Member States.
The 2015 edition of ECOMOF will feature interactive workshops, training and plenary sessions commercial exhibitions, country-presentations, visits to industries as well as developing and promoting mineral and petroleum resources in West Africa.
Ministers in charge of the mining sector as well as public and private leaders in the West African mining and oil industries will participate in the Forum which has as its theme: Developing the mineral and petroleum resources of West Africa through regional cooperation.
“I look forward to the active participation of everyone in ECOMOF 2015 for a successful outcome with a view to accelerating the development of our mining and oil industries,” Morlaye said at the launching ceremony of the event on Friday, September 26, in the Ghanaian capital. He commended the creation and institutionalisation of the ECOWAS Mines and Oil Forum by the Authority of Heads of State and Government following the proposal made for its organisation by the Council of Ministers and recommendations of the ministers in charge of mineral resources of member states.
“ECOMOF, which is envisaged to be held every two years on a rotational basis among member states, will serve as a single interactive platform for Ministers in charge of Mining and Oil industry and their technical staff as well as mining, geological and oil experts in each Member States”, said Morlaye.
According to Nii Osah Mills, Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, and chairman of the launching ceremony for ECOMOF 2015, the theme of the Forum fully meets with his government’s objectives in the field of development of mineral and petroleum resources.
Taking the floor after Mills, Ben Dagadu, deputy Minister of Energy and Oil, and Ahmed Nantogmah, director of Public Affairs and Environment of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, called on the other ECOWAS member states to make the mining sector a channel for job creation and wealth for the people of West Africa.
Ghana was chosen to host the ECOMOF 2015 in recognition of its immense contribution to the harmonisation of ECOWAS mining policies and programmes and its long experience in mining.
In 2013, Ghana was the 9th largest producer of gold and diamond in the world. In that regard, the country has a good coverage of data obtained from aerial surveys. It also has large reserves of bauxite ore and iron, in addition to rock salt, chlorine and caustic soda and industrial mineral deposits. The country has also recently acquired the largest gold refinery in West Africa.
In the field of mining, Ghana has an attractive legal and tax system in consonance with international best practices, as a stable, regulatory environment that guarantees investors and operators in the sector transparent and equitable treatment. Various legal and regulatory systems introduced in the sector for instance such as the Law on Revenue Management in Ghana, are based on the prevailing best practices from other oil-producing countries, with emphasis on the mechanisms for the collection and distribution of oil revenues.
— Oct. 13, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT
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