More than 80 Ghanaians who have received training in Australian-funded mining courses met in Accra, on Tuesday, to exchange ideas on new initiatives and best practice in Ghana’s mining sector.

The participants benefitted from courses in mining and mining governance conducted by IM4DC, the Australia-Africa Partnership Facility (AAPF), and Australia Awards Africa programs over the last four years.

A statement from the office of the Australian High Commission in Ghana, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, on Tuesday said: the event dubbed, “The Ghana Mining for Development Alumni Day,” hosted by Australia’s International Mining for Development Centre (IM4DC), with support by the Australian Government, was on the theme: “Collaboration for Change: Mineral Resources for Shared Prosperity”.

It said Ms Zabeta Moutafis, Australian Head of Development Cooperation for West Africa, said the event aimed at bringing together talented alumni to share ideas and encourage each other to apply the expertise, skills and relationships built to contribute to the broader development of Ghana to improve economic development and standards of living.

“Empowering alumni to influence change in their own contexts is at the core of the IM4DC program, and here in Ghana we have an engaged and diverse group across government agencies, civil society and academic institutions, all focussed on ensuring that Ghana realises positive outcomes from the continued development of its mineral resource endowment,” the statement quoted Robin Evans, Deputy Director, IM4DC, as saying.

Nii Osah Mills, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Dr Toni Aubynn, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Minerals Commission, and Dr Valerio Bosco of the Addis Ababa-based African Minerals Development Centre, participated in the meeting, the statement said.

Australia has a long history of providing capacity-building support to Ghana and countries across Africa.