Organized in collaboration with “Aurum Monaco” a France-based Gold Refinery, the Western Regional Coordinating Council put together and executed the maiden edition of the Ghana Gold Expo in Takoradi.
The event that took place from the March 8 to 10 sought to promote zero mercury use in gold production and the promotion of best standards practice in the industry, under the theme “Promoting Responsible Gold, Zero Mercury”.
The Western Region Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, in his welcome address, was hopeful that some workable solutions to the galamsey menace will come out of the Ghana Gold Expo.
He said: “As a Region and as a country, we have had our share of the repercussion of illegal mining and the indiscriminate use of harmful chemicals in mining operations….
“There are still challenges in dealing with the galamsey menace, and so, we will welcome workable solutions from this forum to stamp out galamsey, restore devastated lands and water bodies as well as boost the Community Mining Scheme through funding and technology transfer.”
The Expo, with a panel of experts also discussed value addition in the gold industry with the view of ensuring that Ghana obtains maximum revenue from its gold reserves whilst creating a world class jewelry industry in the country.
Kweku Asomah Kyeremeh, the Hon. Minister for Lands & Natural Resources, presenting the keynote address on behalf of the His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, lauded the organizers of the Ghana Gold Expo as it falls in line with governments vision to promote responsible exploitation of resources for national benefit. He further underscored the important contribution the Western Region makes to the overall national revenue.
“Government appreciates that mining and responsibility must coexist for good reason. Government policy objectives for the mining sector therefore bores on transparency, accountability and the rule of law aimed at promoting sustainable mining, along with capacity building, value addition and job creation for industrial transformation”, he said.
As part of the three-day historic event to showcase Ghana’s gold, small scale miners were trained to undertake due diligence to effectively identify and respond to risks in their supply chain.
Dr. Nawal Aït-Hocine, CEO of Positive Impact, an independent compliance, sustainability and legal professional with 20 years’ experience in executive positions presented a training module centred on RESPONSIBLE GOLD SUPPLY CHAIN detailing due diligence requirements for international markets such as the OECD requirements; how to engage with artisanal and small scale mining; creating a supply chain from mine to retail and the different certification for supply chain.
Others who Spoke at the event include; Dr Said Deraz, Chairman and CEO of Euroget Group, owners of Gold Coast Refinery; Mr. Selim Fendi, CEO of Aurum Monaco and Prof Alex Dodoo, Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority.
![](https://wrcc.gov.gh/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Wrcc-expo-1-1024x683.jpg)