By Stanley Senya
Accra, Aug. 7, GNA – Solidaridad and Pact have distributed six mercury-free mineral processing equipment to selected artisanal and small-scale gold mines across the country.
The support is on the theme: “Promoting Mercury-free Mining in Ghana” project, with funding from the United States Department of State.
A statement issued in Accra by Abdul Fatah Maigah Mahama, Communications Manager for Ghana said the selected mines were Agyapa Ye, Benvico, Okutey, Bazuri, Dakete, and Beeva in the Ashanti, Western and Western North regions.
It said the Dakete mine received an ST-30 shaking table upgrader, while each of the other five mines received ‘Gold Kacha’ gold concentrators, as well as ‘Gold Konka’ upgraders, fabricated by Appropriate Processing Technology (APT) in South Africa.
The statement said the distribution of mineral processing equipment was part of the programmes ongoing efforts to reduce mercury usage and promote safe working environments.
It said miners conventionally used mercury as a separating agent to extract gold particles from other materials.
“This practice directly affects miners who may inhale mercury vapor and absorb the substance into the body through contact, which can cause severe health challenges,” it said.
The statement said the danger of mercury exposure was not limited to miners, as the entire community could be exposed to it through emissions into the ambient air in urban and semi-urban areas, where gold shops were located and through the disposal of mercury into water bodies, leading to contamination of aquatic life.
Madam Rosemary Addico, Programme Manager for Responsible Gold Mining at Solidaridad West Africa, said the distribution of equipment followed a series of sensitisation efforts deployed through radio and community fora to highlight the effects of mercury usage in artisanal small-scale mining, and training sessions with miners on alternative mineral processing solutions.
The project has sensitised over 15,000 individuals, with a strategy to build consensus among mining community stakeholders about the need to adopt safer mining practices.
“We have a responsibility at Solidaridad to ensure that farmers, workers, and miners operate within decent working environments devoid of any practices or processes that will be harmful to their physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” Addico said.
She applauded the mines for their willingness to innovate and adopt innovative solutions and stressed the need for policy frameworks to strengthen the impact of the advocacy work.
Ghana is a signatory to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which is a multilateral environmental agreement that addresses human activities which are contributing to mercury pollution and aims at reducing global mercury pollution over the coming decades.
The Convention enjoins States to formulate policies and establish cogent controls to regulate mercury usage.
Ghana is bound by international law to put these controls in place.
She said the lack of technical expertise among miners and concerns about the gold recovery rate had been a significant hindrance in the adoption of alternate mineral processing technologies.
Mr Joseph Kofi Ababio, Mine Manager at the Agyapa Ye Mine, who received the gold Kacha concentrator on behalf of his mine said “The Gold Kacha machine has alleviated my concerns on the gold extraction rate and the possibility of losing gold if I modify my extraction process. My experience evaluating the machine confirms that it gives a better gold extraction rate than using mercury.”
He said the Gold Kacha provides maximum extraction on the first attempt, which significantly improves their efficiency and reduces labour demand compared to their previous approach, which required at least three extraction cycles to ensure that all gold particles have been retained.
The Promoting Mercury-free Mining in Ghana project, funded by the US Department of State (USDOS) is a three-year project, implemented by Solidaridad and Pact, an international NGO working with governments, communities, and private partners to make ASM safer, formal, and more productive.
The project aims to reduce the use of mercury in Ghana’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector through education, the introduction of better technology, and strengthening supply chains.
The project is working with legally registered ASGM groups in the Western, Western North, and Ashanti regions, and a range of stakeholders, including government agencies, gold traders, and communities, to achieve two core objectives.
GNA