The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has ordered 100 mercury-free gold processing machines, known as "Gold Katchas," for use by small-scale miners around the country.
President Akufo-Addo commissioned the gold processing equipment in Independence Square on Monday, June 6, 2022, describing it as "another key milestone in small scale mining and environmental sustainability."
As the name implies, the one hundred (100) Gold Katcha equipment recovers gold from ore without the use of mercury, which has been the practice for decades.
The technology, according to the President, "has the ability to collect over ninety percent (90%) of gold from the ore, giving small scale miners significantly more gold than they would have recovered using the traditional method of mercury."
He added that "we owe it as a duty to protect and safeguard our environment by reducing and, eventually, eliminating the use of such harmful chemicals," referring to Ghana's commitments under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which is to reduce and, where possible, eliminate the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale mining.
Some of the equipment that President Akufo-Addo commissioned has already been turned over to Community Mining Schemes and the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, according to him.
"Under the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Program, we intend to purchase around 300 more of these items for use in the various localities where the Program is being implemented." Our goal is to eliminate mercury usage in small-scale mining gradually, but as quickly as feasible, and to contribute to the Minamata Convention on Mercury's goals," he added.
President Akufo-Addo reiterated his government's full support for responsible small-scale mining activities, particularly because they allow Ghanaians to participate in the mining industry and contribute significantly to the development of the gold sector, but added that "what my government is against is any form of mining that ignores environmental preservation."
He promised that the government would continue to pursue policies and programs that would encourage ethical and sustainable mining operations that would benefit the country's growth.
"It is my desire, and I believe it is the wish of most Ghanaians, that the recipients of these items would put them to good use for their personal benefit as well as the country's," he said.
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