by Prof J. S. Y. Kuma VICE CHANCELLOR, UMaT

Transcription

1 by Prof J. S. Y. Kuma VICE CHANCELLOR, UMaT

2 THEMATIC AREAS An Insight into Ghana s Mining Industry Mining Education in Ghana Challenges in the Minerals Industry The Way Forward UMaT s Approach 2

3 INSIGHT INTO GHANA S MINERALS INDUSTRY 3 Ghana s mining industry accounts for 5 10% of GDP and 35% of total exports Gold contributes to 90% of total mineral exports Ghana is Africa s 2 nd largest gold producer and 10 th in the world Gold mined and traded in Ghana since 7 th century Gold Coast produced 35% of world production between

4 INSIGHT INTO GHANA S MINERALS INDUSTRY 4 Gold sector employs largest number of trained and untrained manpower in the mining industry Total production decreased from 107 tonnes in 2014 to 94 tonnes in SSMcontributed about 30% Minerals industry one of the highest contributors to GRA Mining contributed GHc 1.35 billion to the economy

5 MINING EDUCATION IN GHANA Tarkwa Technical Institute (TTI) in 1952 Name change to Tarkwa School of Mines (TSM) in 1961 Assistance from CIDA, UNDP, GTZ, etc. Affiliation to KNUST in 1976 as Faculty WUC of KNUST, Tarkwa 2001 UMaT Act 2004 (Act 677) 5

6 CONTRIBUTION OF MINING EDUCATION TO GHANA S DEVELOPMENT Significance of UMaT UMaT only mining University in West Africa UMaT has graduated over students for the mining and allied industries from 2009 to 2016 Quality and uniqueness of UMaT s progs 6

7 MINING EDUCATION IN GHANA Uniqueness of UMaT partly because of: The best STR in Science and Engineering for public HEIs Very strong quality assurance system that strictly adheres to both NAB and NCTE standards/norms Practically oriented curricula as well as a wellstructured student internship programme Very competitive school fees Serene and disciplined academic environment 7

8 MINING EDUCATION IN GHANA Uniqueness of UMaT 90% of graduates work in mining sector. Gender mainstreaming at UMaT Target 40% females by 2024 UMaT supports local content for the mining sector Improved technology in mining industries 8

9 MINING EDUCATION IN GHANA UMaT s mining related programmes Mining Engineering Minerals Engineering Geological Engineering Geomatic Engineering Environmental and Safety Engineering Petroleum Engineering Electrical and Electronics Engineering Mechanical Engineering 9

10 10 MINING EDUCATION IN GHANA Top companies with UMaT graduates: Goldfields Ghana Ltd Anglogold Ashanti Ltd Ghana Manganese Company Ghana Bauxite Company Newmont Ghana Ltd African Mining Services Chirano Gold Mines Golden Star Resources Perseus Mining Prestea Sankofa Gold Adamus Resources Ghana Limited Asanko Gold Inc.

11 MINING RELATED PROGRAMMES IN OTHER GHANAIAN UNIVERSITIES KNUST - Geomatic Engineering, Geological Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Environmental Science, Electrical Eng, Mechanical Eng etc. UG - Geology and Material Science & Engineering, Petroleum Geoscience, etc. UENR - Environmental Engineering, Natural Resource Management etc. UDS Earth Science, Environmental Science etc 11 UCC- Environmental Science etc

12 CHALLENGES FOR THE MINERALS INDUSTRY 1. Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) Subsumed under Small Scale Mining (SSM) Act 703 Benefits include foreign exchange and employment Short and long term problems include land degradation, water pollution, human and human health impacts 12 NREG project stakeholder input

13 CHALLENGES FOR THE MINERALS INDUSTRY Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) Encroachment on large scale mining companies concessions over the years have: deprived them of the opportunity to fully exploit their concession increased the number of security personnel deployed at vantage points depleted their reserves thereby affecting the life of mines Key challenge in the management of illegal include: inadequate regulations in place to monitor ASM 13 monitored by only 9 district officers & few personnel

14 CHALLENGES FOR THE MINERALS INDUSTRY 2. Falling Gold Prices Series of fluctuations in gold prices $1,800/ounce (2011) $1,167/ounce (2016) $1,254/ounce (March, 2017) 14 Falling prices has led to: Cost cutting and lay-offs Difficulties in mine planning Difficulties in acquiring jobs

15 CURRENT CHALLENGES FOR THE MINERALS INDUSTRY 3. Energy Crises Recent power crises or Dumsor Automatic Frequency Load Shedding (AFLS) cuts the supply of power to the mines in the event of a deficit in generation of electricity at peak periods Reduction of load in-take by 25% and 33% in 2014 and 2015 respectively Increasing energy tariffs 15

16 CURRENT CHALLENGES FOR THE MINERALS INDUSTRY 4. Community Pressure Pressure brought to bear on mining companies by the host communities Caused by inadequate dispute resolution strategies, compensation, resettlement packages, unfulfilled promises in CSR agreements, inadequate alternative livelihood initiatives, expectation management, etc. 16 Pressure may reflect negatively on the image of the mining industry as well as inflame socioeconomic tension

17 THE WAY FORWARD UMaT s APPROACH 17 Support to Gov t to find solutions Regulation of the SSM sector Designed template for periodic reports from SSM to MINCOM Employ mining and minerals eng, geologists, env tal scientists Regular auditing at all SSM sites Prohibit mining on water bodies and forest reserves Use of heavy equipment addressed SSM is preserve of Ghanaians

18 THE WAY FORWARD UMaT s APPROACH UMaT s Initiatives MoU between UMaT and GNASSM Training programme supported by MINCOM and the Australian High Commision Direct smelting technology named Sika Buchia as one of the best by UNEP Use of Lantern Retort 18

19 THE WAY FORWARD UMaT s APPROACH 19 Establish refineries to add value, generate foreign exchange and create employment Support to Mines Reserve Plant Funding to academia to provide economically viable options UENR is lead institution on renewable energy research UMaT to mount a renewable energy engineering programme GCM and Gov t to support communities Adoption of CSR Agreement Model by Prof D. Mireku-Gyimah.

20 CONCLUSION Mining has contributed greatly to the development of Ghana There is the need to exploit many other natural resources There is a great need to support mining education for the purpose of responsible and sustainable mining in Ghana 20

21 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION