The Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) has signed an MoU with the Bauxite Minerals Group to expand bauxite mining operations in Awaso.

Details of the MoU is to ensure the new phase sees an expansion of operations from one million metric tonnes to about 5 million metric tonnes of bauxite.

CEO, Micheal Ansah, revealed this when GIADEC inaugurated a 19-member committee in the Awaso Community.

“We have signed a memorandum of understanding with our current partners in Awaso, Bauxite Minerals Group and that MOU is around expanding the bauxite mining operations from one million metric tonnes to about 5 million metric tonnes of bauxite”.

Leadership of GIADEC say it has plans to also build a 1.6 million metric tonnes of alumina plant as part of the framework of the MoU signed awaiting execution.

“We have done so many preparation work leading to the signing of this agreement and we are talking to other investors and the inauguration of the 19-member committees in all these areas is all part of that.

“We are in a final rounds of the investor engagement process that we launched about a year ago and that process is selecting some strategic partners to mine the bauxite and carry out refinery activities and also that will lead to retrofitting our Valco Plant.

“So That process is coming to our end and we will mine the bauxite in Awaso, Nyinahini and also Kyebi.”

Build a Refinery

GIADEC says the work it is going to do is not to continue what is happening (bauxite mining in Awaso for over ¢70 million) but to bring a new direction and strategy to how we accomplish bauxite mining but in an integrated way.

He explained that, “today we have only bauxite mining here and we are looking to build a refinery as well”.

Inauguration of 19-member committees

Mining Communities in the country have for many years struggled with infrastructure development regardless of its contribution to the GDP.

The government through the GIADEC has inaugurated 19 member committees in the various bauxite mining communities, to address this trend.

The move by the GIADEC is meant to thoroughly engage members of these communities and inject them into the development plans of the new phase of bauxite mining in the country.

It is part of long-term exercise to prevent community-mining company frictions and dissatisfaction that often occurs between the two parties in mining communities.

These areas include Asiakwa (Atewa) in the Eastern Region, Awaso in the Western North Region, Nyinahini and Mpasaaso in the Ashanti Region.

Mr Ansah says the committee will also be responsible for effectively communication between the two parties.

 “The key thing is that the community is deeply involved, they understand what we are doing and build a partnership of trust that will lead to exploiting the resource in the right way”.

With particular focus on sustainable and development mining, members of the committees were carefully coopted from sections that have direct interest in health, safety, protection of lives, and preservation of the forest reserves and development of the people.

GIADEC describes the committee as field managers of the corporation, liaising between GIADEC and the communities and ensuring there is real time response to all concerns and activities that will arise out of the mining.

 “We are very keen to make sure that we are very keen and engage the community, that they are part of what we are doing that they understanding the work we are going to carry out, their aspirations and expectations.

 First thing is the community engagement. Second is that the work we do will take congnisance of the environmental issues, how we address the hydrology issues we are carrying out baseline studies that will show us how to do mining here,” Mr Ansah explained.

The committee is also supposed to ensure that the projects are owned by the people in all of its aspects regarding preservation of the reserves, sustainable practices, communication, job creation and economic and infrastructural development.

Leadership of these mining communities have bemoaned the exodus of the youth for greener pastures.

Chief of Awaso in the Bibiabi Anhwiaso Bekwai Municipality, Nana Kwame Amponsah Debrah III, wants the GIADEC initiative to address this trend.

“the company can pick up the youth and those who do not have the requisite skills could be trained and employed so they don’t leave these communities empty. We know this will develop our community”.

CEO, Micheal Ansah says locals who qualify for any jobs within the value chain will be given the utmost priority in adherence to the local content law.

Meanwhile, there calls for a policy to ensure subsequent governments will continue with implementation of the GIADEC plans.

Chairman, of Ananano Mining Advocacy Group and Secretary to Nyinahinin Town Elders Society, Nana Oppong Denkyere is leading that campaign.

“We don’t want a situation where if NPP government leaves power at a point, the GIADEC plan will be abolished, that is the concern of we the community people.

“We have realised the plans are good so we want government to put in legislation or policy to ensure that there is continuity because see this place, we don’t even have a hospital. We need development so we are happy the GIADEC is engaging us the ordinary people”.

The Governing Board and Management of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation, GIADEC has set up and inaugurated 19-member committees for the various bauxite communities in the country.

The communities which includes Asiakwa (Atewa) in the Eastern Region, Awaso in the Western North Region, Nyinahini and Mpasaaso in the Ashanti Region are all bauxite mining towns and needs to be duly monitored.

With particular focus on sustainable and development mining, members of the committees according to the management of GIADEC, were carefully coopted from sections that have direct interest in health, safety, protection of lives, preservation of the forest reserves and development of the people.

Representing all the areas equally, each team were fairly present with its chiefs, opinion leaders, MMDCEs, Assembly Members, District Police Commanders, Forestry Representatives, Women group representatives, Youth Association Representatives, Religious leaders in the communities, citizens amongst others.

The Chief Executive officer of GIADEC, Michael Ansah spelling out the mandate of the 19-member committee said they are to be the field managers of the corporation, liaising between GIADEC and the communities and ensuring that there is real time response to all concerns and activities that will arise out of the mining.

The committee is also supposed to ensure that the projects are owned by the people in all of its aspects regarding preservation of the reserves, sustainable practices, communication, job creation and economic and infrastructural development.

The first 19-member committee was inaugurated on Wednesday at, Atewa in the Eastern Region.

Addressing the durbar, the Okyehemaa Nana Adutwumwaa Dokuaa praised GIADEC for the measures put in place so far to ensure an all-inclusive governance of the bauxite mining project in the area.

She was hopeful that this will bring the much needed jobs to her people in the communities and advised all resident to support and advocate for the growth of GIADEC.

Municipal Chief Executive for Akyem Abuakwa South, Kwadwo Ofori Sarpong assured the team of total government support in security, logistics and local mobilization to ensure GIADEC’s operational success in the Municipality.

Members of the committee after the swearing-in assured GIADEC of diligence and hard work to promote sustainable mining.

Stopping at Awaso on Thursday, the bauxite mining community is in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai Municipality of the Western North Region with a history of close to 80 years of mining.

Ordinarily, people of the community and its environs would oppose any new proposals of mining with agitations and sometimes demonstrations. This is due to the lack of development in the area regardless of its contribution to the GDP.

However, the team was treated to a durbar, and according to the chief and people of the area, this is premised on their faith in GIADEC and the Nana Addo-led government to deliver on their promise.

The chief of Awaso Nana Kwame Amponsah Debrah III lamented the poverty conditions of the community and called on government to help his people. GIADEC on their part, assured that they will not relent on the promise to make the mining beneficial to all especially the mining community.

Hon Osei Adjei, Deputy CEO of GIADEC was emphatic that local residents who qualify for any jobs within the value chain will be given the utmost priority

 Nhyinahini in the Ashanti Region on Thursday afternoon was not different from Atewa and Awaso.

Two traditional Chiefs, the chief of Nyinahini, Nana Amanpene Boateng Twum and the Chief of Nkawie Traditional Area Nana Kusi Amankwaa Marfo, joined hands in a durbar to welcome Michael Ansah and his team.

The elated chiefs and people of the town praised President Akufo-Addo for his vision to reengineer the operations of bauxite mining and establish new factories to refine and smelter in Ghana.

They urged GIADEC to continue their consistent engagement with all stakeholders to sustain their success story so far.

DCE for Atwima Mponua District William Darko was hopeful, that GIADEC will change the economic narrative of the District. Members of the sworn in Committee were also grateful to president Akufo-Addo for bringing governance down to the people.

History was made at Mpasaaso when for the first time in very long years, the chiefs of Mpasaaso No1 and Mpasaaso No2 came together for a common purpose.

These two chiefs had long-standing oppositions on traditional reasons and but for GIADEC would not meet.

The inauguration of the 19-member committee however turned into a celebration of unity and peace when the two chiefs buried their differences and came together to commission the committee.

The two chiefs urged the committee to work hard to protect the gains of unity made from now and help cement the relations from henceforth.

Jobs, Infrastructural development, Environmental protection, Inclusive operations and Sustainable practices were the pointers from speakers from GIADEC.

It is hoped that all committees in the four major areas, Atewa, Awaso, Nyinanhini and Mpassaso will give off their best to protect the interest of their people.

The Lands and Natural Resources Minister has charged the newly constituted governing board of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), to drive an agenda that will set the company as the fulcrum of the full development of an integrated aluminium industry.

Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh made the statement when he swore in six well-experienced members as the board of directors with backgrounds in the fields of energy, economics and industrialisation.

The six-member board will govern the affairs of the Company, for a four-year term to steer the revamping agenda of the Volta Aluminium Company under the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Corporation (GIADEC).

The Minister was elated that GIADEC and the Ministry have been able to put together the board for VALCO; a company that has been without a board for a long period causing a steep downward trend of development in the business.

He was hopeful that the new board with the support of GIADEC, will overcome the myriad of challenges VALCO has been faced with, to effectively implement a new recovery plan that will see optimization of the company’s full capacity.

“In spite of the challenges, VALCO remains a strategic Ghanaian asset that is considered a major cornerstone of the Integrated Aluminium Industry in Ghana. GIADEC, in partnership with the management of VALCO has deployed a Recovery Plan with the aim of retrofitting the plant so that it can produce at its full capacity of 200,000 tonnes per annum and expand by an additional 100,000 tonnes p.a., he said.

Mr Asomah-Cheremeh further urged the board and the management of GIADEC who were present at the swearing-in ceremony to give practical meaning to the President’s Growth and Transformation Agenda for the Ghanaian economy,

‘The Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda, by leveraging on Ghana’s existing Bauxite reserves and the smelting of aluminium to make the Ghanaian economy an enviable one.

He reminded both teams especially the CEO of GIADEC who is also a member of VALCO’s board, that this is the reason for which GIADEC has been set up.

He hoped to see in a few years, the creation of over thirty-five thousand jobs and a major contribution to the Gross Domestic Product.

“It is expected that Ghana’s IAI will lead to the creation of over 35,000 new jobs (10,000 direct and 25,000 indirect). It is also expected that there will be an annual boost to the economy of about $10 billion.

“The $10 billion boost will be achieved through mining, refining and smelting (approx. $2-3 billion) in addition to contributions from the downstream and allied industries,” he said.

According to the minister, it is expected that Ghana would be ranked 8th in the world for bauxite reserves (after China and above India) with expected annual production of 10-20 million tonnes.

Board Chairman of the Volta Aluminium Company, Dr Henry Benyah thanked government, the minister and GIADEC for the confidence reposed in him and his team of Directors in especially retrofitting and revamping what is almost becoming a white elephant.

He assured the team’s commitment to reviving the Company to lead GIADEC’s vision of establishing viable industry, that is relevant in the whole value chain and pivot to Ghana’s industrialization programs.

The Board chair was emphatic that they will see to the actual retrofitting of the VALCO plant over the next five years to enable the required or expanded production capacity of 300, 000 metric tonnes.

The Chief Executive Officer of GIADEC, Michael Ansah who is also a board member of VALCO was happy that GIADEC’s plan of restructuring, reforming and expanding the bauxite and aluminium industry is fully on course, and a typical example is the witnessing of the inauguration of a governing board for VALCO.

Responding to questions on the mounting concerns over bauxite exploitation in Ghana, regarding the Sinohydro agreement, Mr Ansah explained that the deal is a result of a positive well thought out developmental decision that will benefit and develop Ghana as a whole rather than benefitting a few.

“We’ve had bauxite since this country has existed. We have close to a billion tonnes of bauxite. We’ve not exploited this fully. We have only one mine in Awaso today.

“We are looking at exploiting the full resource that we have in Nyihahin today and kyebi as well and this would give us the beginnings of a mining industry that can support a viable refinery that would feed the smelter that we have,” he said.

Members of the inaugurated board include Dr Henry Benyah as the Board Chair, Daniel Acheampong (member), Dr. Gloria Naa Dzama Addico (member), Samuel Evans Ashong Narh(member), Seth Adjete Adjei(member), and Michael Ansah (member).