Ghana has learnt a lot of lessons in mining which will help the country to forestall the “Obuasi situation” in Nyinahin where bauxite would be mined, Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said.

“After almost 100 years of mining gold, we have learnt some hard lessons”, Dr Bawumia said at a sod-cutting ceremony for the 69.5 km Sinohydro Nyinahin, Wiawso area roads which brought to three, the number of sods cut last week for roads captured in the approved Lots under Phase 1 of the Ghana-Sinohydro Master Project Support Agreement.

He assured the chiefs and people of the area that: “Bauxite mining will be different”, adding: “We do not want a repeat of the Obuasi situation”.

Dr Bawumia said the ‘bauxite for infrastructure’ Sinohydro deal “gives us the opportunity to provide critical infrastructure across the nation, including where the minerals are mined”.

“This is a win-win situation for us,” he noted.

The first sod-cutting ceremony for the week was done for the 88-km Hohoe-Jasikan-Dodo Pepeso road in the Oti Region on Tuesday, 19 November 2019 while the second was for the Cape Coast Inner-city roads on Thursday, 21 November 2019.

Among the roads to be improved with the third one, include Nyinahin town roads, Kwanfifini-Aprenimade Feeder Road, Mpasatia-Abompey Feeder Road and the Kessekrom-Adiembra Feeder Road.

The Sinohydro Master Project Support Agreement is for Construction and Upgrading of selected roads and interchanges in Ghana, to be administered under the Ministry of Roads and Highways (MRH). The Department of Feeder Roads under the Ministry will provide technical services in the supervision and monitoring of the project.

Dr Bawumia told the townsfolk of Nyinahin that the government of President Akufo-Addo chose to employ new thinking in the exploitation of Ghana’s resources in order to ensure that both communities in which mining takes place as well as the nation at large receive infrastructure and other benefits, hence the GoG-Sinohydro Agreement that seeks to leverage a fraction of Ghana’s bauxite deposit (in value-added form) for some critical infrastructure projects worth $2 billion.

“The exchange agreement is to help us work on some selected roads across the country to boost economic activities and at the same time to enhance improved livelihoods of the people along the corridors of those roads”, Dr Bawumia stressed.

He underscored government’s commitment to ensure that the local content clause in the Agreement is strictly adhered to, emphasising that a lot of factors go into the choice of roads selected.

“The main purpose of selecting roads in this area is to enhance production of bauxite and its related activities in the area. It's our hope that very soon we will see a great leap in the production of bauxite in this area to give strong support to the economy. The increase in the production of bauxite will indirectly impact other socio-economic activities in area. Many jobs will be created to increase wealth and to reduce poverty.

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwesi Amoako-Atta, assured the chiefs of the area, especially Nana Amanpene Boateng Twum II, the Chief of Nyinahin, that other roads in the area would be upgraded under Phase II of the Agreement.

“We want to assure you that this government will build roads that will last. This government is determined to provide quality road infrastructure,” he added.

The Chief Executive of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC), Mr Michael Ansah, pledged his outfit’s determination to ensure responsible and environmentally-friendly mining to keep the mines as sustainable as possible.