The Minerals Commission is currently supervising the following EU-funded SYSMIN projects:

Environmental Impact Assessment and National Strategic Assessment Programme to measure the effect of past, current and future consequences of large scale mining operations in order to find appropriate solutions to them (2005 – 2008), see project description [see project page]

Development of an Information Management System for the Ministry of Mines and its Agencies (2005 – 2006), executed by a consortium lead by Beak Consultants (Germany) [see project page]

Prestea Water and Sanitation Project

The project was carried out as part of the divestiture processes of the Prestea Mine, which was managed by the former State Gold Mining Corporation. The project was funded under the Mining Sector Development and Environment Project (Credit 2743-GH) with co-finance from the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) to put in place a system to remedy the serious water and sanitation problems in Prestea, which had been created by past mining activities.

The project provided the township of Prestea with improved water supply and sanitation facilities. In fact, about 14 km network of transmission and distribution lines which are fed with water from three elevated steel tanks situated at Bondaye, Dagati and Ankobra were completed. Also, a total of 14 public toilets were completed and commissioned.

A training programme to ensure efficient operation and maintenance to secure sustainability of the system is underway and will be completed in 2005 by which time a permanent mechanism for the operation and maintenance of the system will be put in place.

Salt Development in Ghana

The Commission, which set up the Salt Desk, has been involved in efforts at development of the salt industry in Ghana. It facilitated the approval of HIPC funds for and supervised the disbursement of the funds to the small-scale salt producers of Elmina in 2004. It also gave similar assistance, with the PSI, to salt producers at Nyanyano in the Central Region.

In order to ensure optimal land use along the coastal belt of Ghana for the purpose of salt production, a Ministerial Technical Committee, which has a representation of the Minerals Commission, has been working on the production of land use planning map of the Ada Songhor area as a prelude to undertaking a similar exercise for the entire coastal belt. A preliminary report on the study was completed and has been submitted to the Commission.

Mining Sector Support Programme (MSSP) (formerly Sysmin Project)

Following the November 1997 application by Ghana to the European Union for a SYSMIN facility under the Lome IV Convention to support her mining sector, a facility for a programme (MSSP) with the underlisted overall objectives was approved :-

• Sustainably improve the national economy through the discovery of new mineral resources to allow for a gradual replacement and diversification of presently exploited ore deposits

• To reduce poverty due to increased employment and revenue generated by the mining companies both directly through employment or indirectly through the development of skills and other forward and backward linkages

• To mitigate negative environmental impacts of mining through the use of environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment plans as well as finding alternatives to the use of mercury by small scale miners.

In order to achieve the above objectives, a number of projects were approved by the European Union, with the four main components being:

• Institutional Reinforcement and Capacity Building

• Provision of Geo-Scientific data

• Mining Environment Protection including the development of an alternative to use of mercury by small scale miners and

• Mining Infrastructure upgrading in the Western Region.

In accordance with the procedures of EU projects, by the last quarter of 2003, the PMU (Messrs. Tec-Ingenerie of France) was established and a Steering Committee was set up.The work programme for the year 2003/2004 was prepared and the first meeting of the Steering Committee was held in December 2003. Work on the Programme started in earnest in 2004. By the end of 2004, several multi-national companies had submitted bids to undertake components of the project. Evaluation of tenders for the implementation of all the programmes has been completed and the award of various contracts and supervision will commence in 2005.