Newmont Ghana’s Ahafo Mine last Saturday emerged winners of this year’s Zone II Mine Safety and First Aid competition. The victory, according to Newmont Ahafo’s Communications Manager, Agbeko Kwame Azumah, is an affirmation of the company’s commitment to high safety standards. The competition, organized under the auspices of the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission, was hosted by Newmont Ghana’s Ahafo Mine under the theme: Safe Mining; Our core business. An annual affair, the competition was aimed at bringing together representatives of mining companies and their host communities towards creating safety and first aid awareness among themselves. Competing companies for this year’s contest were Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, Ghana Bauxite Company, Kinross Chirano Gold Mines Limited, Noble Gold Limited and Owere Gold Limited. Noble Gold Limited, Bibiani won in the community category of the competition. By emerging winners, Newmont Ghana and Noble Gold Limited will represent the Zone in the Company and Community categories respectively at the National Competition on Saturday, November 3, 2012. Newmont Ghana upholds high safety standards in its operations and has introduced several measures at its Mining sites to ensure the safety and well-being of its workers and contractors. Speaking on the theme “Safe Mining; Our Core Business”, Dr. Tony Aubynn, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Chamber of Mines reiterated the need for mining companies to make safety the most important component in their operations, stressing that “Working safely is like breathing – if you don’t, you die.” “Between January and June 2012, mining companies are estimated to have paid about US$140 million in royalties to the State, representing 19% increase over the same period in 2011 which was about US$115 million," Dr. Aubynn added. He called on local actors to collaborate with the Chamber and regulators to curb the menace of illegal mining in the country and reiterated the chamber’s support for legal small – scale mining. On his part, the Chief Inspector of Mines, at the Minerals Commission, Stephen Piedu, encouraged illegal miners in Ghana to regularize their activities by registering with the appropriate regulators and authorities. He called on all mining companies in the country to increase their effort at maintaining precautionary health and safety measures within their work places.