Lands Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor has committed to greater transparency in the mining sector as he pursues an ambitious plan to diversify Ghana’s mineral resource base.

He has been wooing investors in Peth, Australia, the famed mining capital of the world at the Africa Down Under Mining and Exploration conference.

Addressing delegates, Mr Jinapor stressed about government’s ambition to make Ghana the mining hub of Africa, where all mining and mining-related activities, from exploration to downstream production, and from research to innovation, will be centered.

He said, “we do all these in an atmosphere of transparency and in accord with the highest standards of integrity”.

Beyond the commitment to transparency, there is also a drive to position Ghana to derive full benefit from the green transition through diversification.

Mr Jinapor said the transition “requires green metals to produce batteries to replace fossil fuel dependent vehicles and make this diversification even more imminent”.

Ghana is already endowed with green minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, rare earth elements (REE), iron, copper, and phosphate, “which are yet to be explored,” Mr Jinapor said.

The Australian company, Atlantic Lithium, is already involved in lithium exploration in Ghana.

According to Mr Jinapor, government’s policy for the development of these minerals “is to pursue a path that fosters optimal socio-economic development, through effectively and efficiently exploiting and managing Ghana’s green minerals and contributing positively to dealing with the climate change phenomena.

“We are working towards the net zero emission target, and collaborating with other relevant stakeholders in employing climate-friendly technologies and practices, to achieve the maximum developmental impact for the country.”

Value addition is also top on the agenda.

Government is currently in the process of securing a London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) Certification that will ensure that Ghana is able to trade our refined gold easily on the international market following the Public Private Partnership led establishment of a local gold refinery.