President Commissions 100 Mercury-Free Gold Processing Equipment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday, 6th June 2022, commissioned one hundred (100) mercury-free gold processing equipment, commonly referred to as Gold Katcha.

He commissioned the equipment at a ceremony held at the Independence Square, in Accra.

“As the name suggests, it is an equipment that extracts gold from the ore without the use of mercury, which has been the practice for several decades.

“This equipment, I am told, also has the capacity to recover over ninety percent (90%) of gold from the ore, and, therefore, give small scale miners much more gold than they would have obtained from the traditional method of using mercury,” Mr Akufo-Addo said.

Reiterating the full support of his government for responsible small-scale mining activities, especially as they provide avenues for Ghanaians to participate in the mining industry, and contribute substantially to the development of our gold sector, President Akufo-Addo stated, however, that “what my government is against is any form of mining that pays no heed to the preservation of the environment, and which threatens our very survival and the legacy we seek to bequeath future generations.”

Government, he assured, will continue to pursue policies and programmes that will promote responsible and sustainable mining practices that contribute to national development.

“It is my hope, and, indeed, that of most Ghanaians, that beneficiaries of these equipment will put them to good use for their own benefit and for the benefit of the country,”

He added “It is our intention to procure some three hundred (300) more of these equipment, under the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme, for use in the various communities where the Programme is being implemented.

” Our goal is to eliminate gradually, but as soon as possible, the use of mercury in small-scale mining, and help realise the objectives of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.”

Source: Otixpres.com