Ghana
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the discussions on
mining.
Mining is a multifaceted activity that requires an integrated approach for its
effective and efficient management. When managed properly, the activity has
the potential to generate streams of benefits that can contribute significantly to
sustainable development. Thus, countries endowed with mineral resources have
the responsibility to manage these resources to benefit their economies.
Beyond employment and other direct economic impacts of mining operations,
creating positive linkages between mining and the rest of the economy is critical
for development. Indeed, without this integrated approach, there are real risks
that mining operations would create enclaves, with few spillovers to the rest of
the economy.
In this regard, some key issues that all governments have to manage, as we from
Ghana can bear testimony to from our experience, include:
· Challenges with environmental impact and social conflict caused by
mining operations;
· Difficulties with optimizing the use of revenues from mining for maximal
development impact;
· Facilitation of positive linkages between the mining sector and the rest of
the economy; and
· Enhancing of local content in the sector.
To address these issues, the Government of Ghana has put in place a
comprehensive and forward looking policy framework for mining to catalyse
sustainable development.
Firstly, on the environmental front, efforts being made include conducting
Strategic Environmental Assessment towards ensuring long term planning as
well as enhancing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) required before
commencing mining activities to take account of best practices such as mine
closure planning and posting of reclamation bonds. Additionally, Ghana has
introduced a third wave of environmental compliance enforcement programme
called Akoben which is a form of Environmental Performance Rating and
Public Disclosure concept.
Secondly, efforts being made to enhance the socio-economic benefits include:
· Review of fiscal regime, in line with quite common trend across a
number of developing countries, to maximize retained value from mining;
· Enhancing monitoring and evaluation of fiscal and financial flows within
the sector to ensure efficient mobilization and distribution of the benefits
of mining;
· A special emphasis on developing legislation and guidelines for
disbursement and usage of the part of mineral revenues returned to
mining communities; and
· Increasing Government-Industry Partnership, a PPP, to improve linkages
with the rest of the economy.
Then also, very importantly, governments need to be able to design and
implement sustainable development plans which ensure that mining activities
and mineral wealth to create and feed into other sectors that will survive and
outlive mine closure. This includes building strong backward and forward
linkages between mining activities and the rest of the economy.
Finally, noting that the inputs, outputs as well as impacts of mining are not
limited to any one country, both Government and the Private Sector have, either
individually or jointly, signed on to international voluntary initiatives such as
the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), Extractive Industries,
Transparency Initiative (EITI), Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals
and Sustainable Development (IGF), International Council on Mining and
Metals (ICMM) and the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC), to
facilitate a collaborative approach to institution and maintenance of requisite
governance, social and environmental standards.
I would therefore like to reiterate the need for an integrated approach if mineralendowed
nations, both individually and collectively, would succeed in their
efforts to use mining as a cata lyst for sustainable development.
Ghana would therefore request for deepening of collaboration between mining
developing nations and Development Partners to ensure that we lay a solid
foundation for the sustainable development of mining-dependent economies.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to make this intervention.
mining.
Mining is a multifaceted activity that requires an integrated approach for its
effective and efficient management. When managed properly, the activity has
the potential to generate streams of benefits that can contribute significantly to
sustainable development. Thus, countries endowed with mineral resources have
the responsibility to manage these resources to benefit their economies.
Beyond employment and other direct economic impacts of mining operations,
creating positive linkages between mining and the rest of the economy is critical
for development. Indeed, without this integrated approach, there are real risks
that mining operations would create enclaves, with few spillovers to the rest of
the economy.
In this regard, some key issues that all governments have to manage, as we from
Ghana can bear testimony to from our experience, include:
· Challenges with environmental impact and social conflict caused by
mining operations;
· Difficulties with optimizing the use of revenues from mining for maximal
development impact;
· Facilitation of positive linkages between the mining sector and the rest of
the economy; and
· Enhancing of local content in the sector.
To address these issues, the Government of Ghana has put in place a
comprehensive and forward looking policy framework for mining to catalyse
sustainable development.
Firstly, on the environmental front, efforts being made include conducting
Strategic Environmental Assessment towards ensuring long term planning as
well as enhancing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) required before
commencing mining activities to take account of best practices such as mine
closure planning and posting of reclamation bonds. Additionally, Ghana has
introduced a third wave of environmental compliance enforcement programme
called Akoben which is a form of Environmental Performance Rating and
Public Disclosure concept.
Secondly, efforts being made to enhance the socio-economic benefits include:
· Review of fiscal regime, in line with quite common trend across a
number of developing countries, to maximize retained value from mining;
· Enhancing monitoring and evaluation of fiscal and financial flows within
the sector to ensure efficient mobilization and distribution of the benefits
of mining;
· A special emphasis on developing legislation and guidelines for
disbursement and usage of the part of mineral revenues returned to
mining communities; and
· Increasing Government-Industry Partnership, a PPP, to improve linkages
with the rest of the economy.
Then also, very importantly, governments need to be able to design and
implement sustainable development plans which ensure that mining activities
and mineral wealth to create and feed into other sectors that will survive and
outlive mine closure. This includes building strong backward and forward
linkages between mining activities and the rest of the economy.
Finally, noting that the inputs, outputs as well as impacts of mining are not
limited to any one country, both Government and the Private Sector have, either
individually or jointly, signed on to international voluntary initiatives such as
the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), Extractive Industries,
Transparency Initiative (EITI), Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals
and Sustainable Development (IGF), International Council on Mining and
Metals (ICMM) and the International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC), to
facilitate a collaborative approach to institution and maintenance of requisite
governance, social and environmental standards.
I would therefore like to reiterate the need for an integrated approach if mineralendowed
nations, both individually and collectively, would succeed in their
efforts to use mining as a cata lyst for sustainable development.
Ghana would therefore request for deepening of collaboration between mining
developing nations and Development Partners to ensure that we lay a solid
foundation for the sustainable development of mining-dependent economies.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to make this intervention.
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